Predestined Sweetness
by brainysmrf
Summary: The fourth and final installment of the Sweets Saga; previous installments were Sweets' Origin, The Emerald Abyss and Sweet Redemption.
1. Chapter 1

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinions starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."

- _Love Actually_

When the 'Welcome Home Ryan Finn Sweets' party finally came to an end, Booth persuaded Brennan to come home with him. He reasoned that Max would be fine by himself for a little while longer and the truth was, he wanted time alone with her.

"I can't believe that they're leaving the Jeffersonian." Brennan said quietly once they were in the car on the way home.

Booth knew that the news was a shock to Brennan and he wanted to tread lightly, "Well, Angela and Hodgins decided that they can help a lot of people starting this foundation."

"But Hodgins has always been devoted to pure science and the pursuit for the truth – I don't see how leaving the lab and starting a charity could make him happy."

"Bones, he's been doing the science thing for almost 20 years I understand his need for a change. And you know Angela has always been looking for the next thing to hold her attention. I'm amazed that she's stuck with forensic work this long."

Brennan sighed, "You make valid points but I just can't imagine the Jeffersonian without them. With Zack gone and Cam leaving…Things just won't be the same."

"So, does this new development have any effect on your decisions for the future?" He asked innocently without taking his eyes off the road.

"Booth, I told you that I want you to be a part of the decisions I make but right now…"

"There's not a decision to be made, I understand." He glanced over at her and grinned. He never thought the day would come when he would be a factor in her future.

After a few minutes of silence, Brennan looked over at Booth, "Why did you tell Sarah about me and Sully?"

"I-I…I didn't…I just told her that there was a time that you had to make a choice between the life you loved and a man you loved…. that's all. She's very confused and I thought that as her _partner_ you could help her."

"First of all, I wasn't in love with Sully. I think I could've have loved him but…"

Booth was surprised that she was being so open with him about the past, it was something that they never discussed. They arrived at his house and after walking up the drive he stopped at the front door, "Obviously, McCready came to you for advice – what did you tell her?"

Brennan turned and slipped her arms around Booth's waist, "I told her that I should have gone, that I should've followed my heart." She noticed Booth's face darken and she continued, "But I also told her that if I hadn't stayed I never would have known that I should've gone. _But_ I didn't tell her that I only learned that because of you. That you, Seeley Booth, showed me that I could listen to my heart and that didn't make me a lesser person."

"So, if you were given the chance to sail away with Sullivan now, would you go?" He asked with a shaken voice.

She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, "No…Absolutely not. How could I leave the only person, the only man that I've ever allowed myself to love? It's taken a long time but I know now that you are the only one I could ever love for reasons that are too numerous to count."

With his chest puffed with pride, he unlocked the front door and shoved it open, he turned to Brennan and grabbed her by the waist, "That was the best possible answer you could have given." He picked her up fireman style and carried her through the house and deposited her onto his bed.

He collapsed onto the bed next to her and kissed her deeply. She started to unbutton his shirt and he swatted her hand away. "Tonight, I just want to sleep with you next to me and not have to worry about sneaking out at dawn or waking anyone else up. I want to lay here with you and talk."

"Talk about what?" Brennan was taken aback by his desire to just talk.

He rolled over on his side and propped his head up with his hand, "Well, I know you said that you haven't made any decisions about work but I'd like to know what you're thoughts are, I'm curious about your plans for the house and the next book. We use to have tons of time to chat about things when we were working together but we've lost that and I miss it."

She rolled over and leaned into him, inhaling his comforting essence and realized that she too missed the time they use to spend together when they were partners. That was, after all the foundation of their relationship and all the sex in the world couldn't make up for that.


	2. Chapter 2

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

- _The Princess Bride_

"So, what's Doc Needy think about you moving down here?" Sarah asked Edward over beers at his house later that night.

"Doc Needy? Really Sarah, is that the best name you could come up with for her?" He asked as he stretched out in the recliner.

Sarah sighed, she had forgotten that had been her secret nickname for Edward's girlfriend – the one that she never said out loud. "Well, you have to admit that she was very high maintenance and pretty…pretty needy, sorry."

Sarah allowed her eyes to wander over Edward's frame, it always amazed her at how manly he had become in the 10 years since they first met, "I'm sorry Ned…What happened?"

He waggled his finger in her face, "First of all, you are not sorry." He then leaned back and closed his eyes briefly, "Secondly, she and I wanted different things – I wanted to grow up and she didn't. I wanted to marry her and she just wanted to have fun with me.

After two years, she still didn't even want to move in with me. I had to walk away..."

"She wasn't good enough for you anyway." Sarah said with a wickedly, sloppy grin, since joining the bureau she had little time for a personal life therefore, four beers left her extremely tipsy.

"Speaking of not being good enough…What's the story with you and G?"

"He still wants to get married but he wants me out on tour with him." She explained quickly and quietly, hoping that there would be no further discussion.

"But your life is _here_." Edward knew that he was venturing into dangerous territory but he continued anyway.

"I know, Ed."

"And you've worked hard for this life."

"I know, Ed. I don't need for you to tell me what I want out of my life." Sarah stood on two unsteady feet and headed to the fridge for another beer.

Edward stood and followed her, "Sarah, I'm sorry. You have to live your life, do what's best for you – I would never stand in the way of that."

Sarah looked up into his sincere baby blues and knew he spoke the truth. She leaned her head against his chest and whispered, "I just don't know what to do. It hurts – I didn't know it could."

Edward grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back, away from him so he could look her in the eye. It killed him to know that she was in pain and like always, he wanted to fix it for her. "You're a smart girl…You'll figure it out…Come on, I challenge you to a game of Battleship." He grinned and she couldn't help but follow him back into the living room.

As he pulled out the game box Sarah eyed him carefully, "So…How was spending time with Sam?"

Edward glared in her direction, "It was fine, why would it be anything other than that?"

She shrugged, "You guys don't talk as much as you use to. There was a time when…"

"Yes, I know…There was a time when we were as close as could be but times have changed."

"Ned, she loves you. She misses you too. But she's married and now she's a mother."

"I get that. I'm trying to adjust." Edward looked at Sarah and he knew that she was too far-gone to actually complete a game of any sorts. She was lying on her back with her red hair fanning across the couch. "What's the deal with your boss, Booth?"

"Whattya mean?" Sarah slowly sat up.

"Tonight he was like a completely different person than the guy I met before."

"Well, you met him right after Gwen died…From what I hear from other people he is a different person now than he was before."

"Man, Gwen was…she was spectacular in all the ways you want a woman to be. I don't know how you get past losing a woman like her." Edward took a seat next to Sarah on the couch.

She looked over at him and slyly smiled, "That's easy, you fall in love with the person who's always been there for you – your best friend."


	3. Chapter 3

"There are some hurts that you never completely get over. And you think, I don't know, that time will diminish their presence - an-an-and to a degree it does - but, ah... it still hurts. Because, well... hurt hurts."

- _The Story of Us_

"How's Lance doing with the baby?" Rebecca asked Booth when he stopped in to pick Parker up for the weekend.

"Well, after 6 weeks he's doing an amazing job…He's…he's great." Booth grinned, he hated to admit it but he was proud of Sweets.

Rebecca smiled at Booth and noticed that he looked tired, exhausted actually, "How are _things_?"

He squinted at her, "_Things_ are good. Busy but good…Max is still staying with Bones but I think he's going to go to North Carolina and stay with her brother soon but Cam's leaving the museum in a few months and then Angela and Hodgins will leave not long after her so it's getting chaotic."

"When's your new department up and running?"

Booth sighed, "Monday morning. We've been fully operational for the past month, working out the kinks but starting Monday everything we do is official. Everything will fall back on me."

"You're gonna be great."

"Thanks, Becca…"

"Will you do me a favor?" She asked hopefully.

"What do you need?"

"Will you talk to Parker about the wedding? He doesn't want to talk to me about it and I'm worried that he's scared of all the changes. I feel like he has questions but doesn't want to ask me. I know that he likes Greg but he won't talk to me about what he thinks or feels and that's not like your son."

"I'll see what I can drag out of him. But I will tell you that he's never given me a reason to think that he's not happy about it."

"Thanks, Seel. He tends to be more open with you – I think he's getting close to that age where…where Mom's just not going to be that cool anymore. But Dad…Dad remains eternally cool."

Booth's heart sunk, he knew deep down that he wanted to be the one that was losing cool points because that meant something, "Well, I'm not the one…I'm not here or I wasn't and…You know…"

"I know, I'm the primary parent – the main disciplinarian but that's a role I chose for myself. And you've never done any thing but try and alleviate some of that pressure for me and I have never let you. It's not your fault."

"I left, Becca. I left my son for over 2 years that _was_ my fault. I know that decision changed the way he looks at me and it hurt him."

Rebecca's face softened with sympathy and she rested her hand on Booth's upper arm, "You can't beat yourself up about that anymore. You're home now, all you can do is move forward. Parker is so happy to see you every week that I don't even think he remembers how long you were gone for. And when he's 40, he may recall the sting of you being gone but what he will ultimately remember for the rest of his life is that you came back."

"Thanks…but I want you to know that I'm ready to be let off of the hook for the past. I'm not going to fall to pieces if you confront me. I'm not Silently Seething Seeley anymore – when you're ready to chew me out for the mess I made, I'll be ready to listen."

Rebecca snorted in laughter, "Silently Seething Seeley? That's hysterical!"

Booth grinned, "Yeah, you can thank Sweets and Finn for that one…I'm serious Rebecca, I'm ready to hear your brutal truth."

"My brutal truth is…" She sighed, trying to determine what the best thing to say to him was, "The truth is you went through something terrible and I'm just thrilled to death that you came through it. You kept your job, you didn't revert to gambling or anything worse. You took your time, cleared your head and came back to the place you always belonged. I'm not going to 'chew' you out for any of that."

Booth started to question her reasoning when Parker came running into the living room, exasperated, "Dad are we _ever_ going to leave?" Parker had been patiently waiting in his room for his parents to finish up their conversation so he could start his weekend with Booth.

"Yup, Bud. We're leaving now, grab your bag." Booth turned and looked at Rebecca and winked at her, "I'll interrogate him over dinner and see what's going on."


	4. Chapter 4

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."

- _Almost Famous_

Much later that same night…

"See?" Edward grinned as he pulled into the parking space. "I made it, just fine."

Sarah narrowed her eyes and tried to think of a rebuttal. "I just don't know why I couldn't drive. It's MY Target!"

He looked at her in mock disgust. "Your Target? Is that why I've been in town for almost 2 months and you're just now allowing me to accompany you? You are ridiculous, you know that right?" he chuckled as he opened his door. "Besides, I'm the man."

That got her going, and she jumped on him from behind, wrapping her arm around his neck. "Are you man enough to escape the choke?"

Edward laughed and about flipped her over, pulling her in front of him.

"Whoa," she whispered quietly. _Old Edward has been working out_, she thought to herself. Smoothing her hands down her sweater, she smiled as they walked inside.

"Hi Sarah" the greeter smiled, and Sarah nodded. "Hello Gladys."

Sarah gave Edward a smirk. "My Target……"

He shook his head, "The fact that you are on a first-name basis with the graveyard shift greeter at Target is a sad commentary on your social life."

"I work odd hours and I like shopping late at night, less crowds." She explained, just a shade defensive.

"Well, there's that and then there's the fact that you've always lived in your own personal time zone – I learned that first-hand in freshmen Chem."

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Am I ever going to live that down?" Edward never failed to remind her that she was a less-than-stellar student when they first met and that he was the only reason she passed their shared class.

He grinned, "Nope. It's been 10 years and as far as I know you still function on 'Sarah Time' most days," He laughed as he watched her scramble away from him, over to the carts.

She turned back and smiled, a cocky grin on her face. "You're getting slow in your old age, Ned."

He sighed, resigned to the idea that she'd beat him in their ever-continuing cart pushing contest. "At least I'm not as old as you, Granny."

Sarah rolled her eyes, "I'm older than you by like 25 days."

"Hey, that's the life span of like two female mosquitoes" he challenged. "That's a lifetime, in mosquito world."

"First of all" Sarah smiled as they turned down the aisle to look at plungers. "You are a nerd. And secondly, if you are comparing us to mosquitoes, then I will have to remember to pick up some bug spray."

Edward opened his mouth to answer…

"Oh, aren't you two the cutest thing?" a kind voice spoke from behind them.

Both Sarah and Edward turned to see an elderly woman with a man, the couple holding hands.

"Harold, don't these two remind you of us when we were young?"

Sarah and Edward shared a knowing smile as Harold grunted in what they assumed was an affirmative. The woman got close to Edward and squeezed his cheek. "Red hair, on your girl, too. I bet she's fiery," she teased, and Edward nearly choked, but nodded graciously.

Both of the young people just nodded and smiled as the older couple made their way through the rest of the aisle.

Once they were out of sight, Sarah and Edward looked at one another and burst out laughing.

"What is that?" Sarah gasped. "Like…number 15?"

Edward nodded and smiled. "I think so. But hey!" he held his hand up for a high five. "Our first time being mistaken for a married couple in D.C.!"

Sarah slapped his hand and nodded. "Sweet."

Edward clasped her hand in his, like he usually did, then bumped her hips out of the way, moving to push the cart. "Sucker…" he called back to her.

Sarah grimaced, then felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out. 'GG' it read on the screen. Sparing a glance toward her friend, she decided she didn't really want to worry about G right now. Hitting 'ignore', she sped up to reach Edward.

He grinned and slung his arm around her shoulders, "Who was that?'

Sarah felt a flush across her cheeks, but kept her voice steady. "No one. Just a telemarketer, I think."

"Oh." Edward shrugged as he turned down the detergent aisle, "Oh, and I also need to get some deodorant. Don't let me forget."

Sarah elbowed him in the ribs. "Yeah, you do. You stink."

"Haha, smarty-pants…" he grinned, then wrapped his arm around her neck tighter, forcing her nose to his armpit. "You don't mean I stink there, do you? Take a big whiff, baby!!"

Sarah laughed, and punched him in the side until he released her. He did, but kept his arm around her waist. They both grew quiet at the closeness of their faces.

"Thanks for showing me your Target, Sarah." Edward finally said, quietly.

"Hey, no prob." She answered, pulling away a bit. "Mi Target, su Target" she added, pulling away more as she felt her phone vibrate, indicating a voicemail.


	5. Chapter 5

"What if you could go back in time, and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better?"

_- Donnie Darko_

Booth spent the bulk of the weekend trying to find the right way and time to ask Parker about his feelings regarding Rebecca's upcoming nuptials. Finally, on Sunday night he found an opening over dinner.

"Hey, Bud…What do you think about your Mom getting married?"

Without looking up from his dinner, Parker shrugged, "It's ok."

"You like Greg, right?"

"Yeah, he's ok."

Booth pushed his empty plate away from him and continued his questioning. "If you have any questions or if you're worried about anything, you know you can talk to me."

Sighing, Parker looked up to the ceiling, "I know…I guess…I guess I think it's weird that she's getting married now."

"What do you mean?"

"Why does she have to get married now? It's always been just us and I don't think she needs a husband."

"Parker, your Mom loves Greg – she wants to make a life with him."

"Ok, but I don't want to call him Dad – you're my Dad, not him."

Booth beamed with pride, "Thanks…I'm sure he doesn't expect you to…Is that all you're worried about?"

Parker started to play with his mashed potatoes, obviously trying to decide if he wanted to continue the conversation, "If being in love makes people so sad, why do people want it?"

"Why do you think that love makes you sad?"

"Because when people fight and break up they're sad. I saw Mom really sad when she and Brent broke up and you were so sad when Gwen died that you moved away." Parker spoke with his head down, not looking at his father.

Booth crossed his arms in front of him, he always knew that eventually he would have to talk to his son about Gwen, he just didn't think it would be so soon, "I _was_ sad when Gwen died…I'm sorry I left but…I hope that one day you'll understand why I did… Losing her made me very sad but having her as a part of my life before that made me very happy – that's the important part. When you come to a sad end you need to remember the beginning and the middle – the good stuff. Does that make sense to you?"

"I guess…But why not find someone who only makes you happy?"

Booth smiled slightly, "Well, that's the goal. That's what everyone wants but you never know how things will end. Are you worried that things will end badly for your Mom?"

"Not really…I guess I just don't…Why didn't you and Mom get married? Did she not make you happy? Did you make her sad?"

"Your mother gave me enough happiness for the rest of my life when she gave me you but she and I…We just…We just didn't…In the end your mother and I just knew that we were meant to be good friends and staying friends has made both of us happy."

Parker nodded, he understood, "Will her getting married make you sad?"

"No, I only want her to be happy. She deserves it. She's earned it."

As he got up to clear his plate, Parker looked at his father and asked, "Dad, when do you get to be happy?"

Booth tilted his head to the right and searched his son's face, he was constantly amazed at the never-ending capacity to care and worry about other people that Parker displayed. "I'm happy right now, Bub."

"Because you _love_ Bones, right?" He asked in a mocking tone.

"That's one of the reasons, yes. The other reason is that I'm home and I get to see you whenever I want."

"Are you going to marry Bones?"

Shaking his head while chuckling, Booth replied, "Only God knows what's going to happen in the future…"

"But, I think that God knows that you should be happy. I tell him every night." Parker said quietly as he walked into the kitchen.


	6. Chapter 6

"Look I probably should have told you this before but you see... well... insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops."

_- Arsenic and Old Lace_

After nearly 2 months of parenting, Swinn had gotten their routine down to a near science. Finn had finally started to feel more like a real mother and Sweets was comfortable enough to let Ryan sleep a full night in his crib, away from his Daddy's watchful eyes. They both had taken the time off of work to get acquainted with their new roles but they were both due back to work in a week and they had yet to find a suitable nanny for their son.

Sitting in the living room pouring over resumes, Finn threw down a stack and leaned back into the couch, "This is ridiculous! Just pick someone, please…Are you sure that these are all the resumes from the agency?"

Sweets glanced up from his stack of papers, "Yes, it's all of them. I don't understand how we're supposed to pick someone when we're given so little information."

Finn rolled her eyes, "Lance, we have their education, previous employers, their social history, a background check and a drug test. What more could you need?"

"I'd like to evaluate them myself."

"We do get to interview them…We just need to pick 10."

"I don't like the idea of leaving him with someone so young," he held up a picture of one of the potential younger nannies, shuffling through the stack he picked up another picture to show his wife, "But, I also don't like the idea of someone so old taking care of him…What do you think?"

"I think that you are over-analyzing this big time. Just pick 10 and we can go from there."

"How can I be over-analyzing this? We are talking about our son!"

"Babe, I just think that once we narrow the field down _then_ we can be more picky. We go back to work in a week. We need to find someone. I refuse to have him put into the Hoover daycare facility – it's too dangerous."

"I know…Although, if he was in my building I could check up on him and so could Booth and Sarah…"

"What about the hours and sometimes days that you spend out of the office? At crime scenes? At the museum with Temperance? No, we are not doing that."

"Ok, fine…Do we have a preference for second language spoken? I think that Spanish makes the most sense but there is something to be said for a child that can speak French or Japanese…"

"I refuse to have an obnoxious, precocious child running around this house speaking French. Spanish is the logical choice…Lance, look at me." She waited for his gaze to rise from the resume to her face, "I love you more than anything - you know that but I have to tell you that you are behaving a little nuts."

"Nuts?! Is that your clinical diagnosis, Dr. Finn-Sweets? I thought you were a little more sensitive than that."

Finn stood to make her point, "Would you please stop being such a drama queen! I know that this is difficult decision that we have to make but you acting like this isn't helping things."

"I know…I'm just very cautious about who I let watch over the people I love." He said quietly and apologetically.

"Do you want to see if Seeley wants to quit the bureau and be our nanny?" Finn had finally figured out why this process was so hard for her husband.

"What?"

"Who else do you trust more?"

Sweets thought for a minute and shook his head, "No one…"

"Ryan is not Gwen – you can't hold these nannies to the same standard you held Seeley. I know that somewhere in the back of your mind your referencing your experiences with Gwen and the care and attention that she needed to make this choice and that's wrong."

"My experiences with Gwen are all I can relate this to. What am I supposed to do?"

Finn sighed and then grinned, "Just come follow me, wade into the unknown with me – the water's a little chilly but it's starting to warm up." 


	7. Chapter 7

"She didn't make me miserable, or anxious, or ill at ease. You know, it sounds boring, but it wasn't. It wasn't spectacular either. It was just good. But really good.""

_- High Fidelity_

After dropping Parker off at Rebecca's house and assuring her that everything was fine with their little man, Booth headed to Brennan's house. The weekends that he had Parker, Booth rarely saw Brennan. He wasn't intentionally trying to keep them apart but it was hard for him to allow those two parts of his life collide. And somehow, she knew that he wasn't ready to merge his separate worlds and 'new Brennan' was ok with that - she knew that he would take that step when he was ready. She was waiting for him on the porch when he pulled up, it was a sight that Booth would never tire of.

"How was Parker?" Brennan asked as Booth followed her into the house.

"He's good...A little confused about Rebecca getting married but I think he'll be ok."

"Why is he confused?"

Booth sighed as he eased himself onto the couch, "Because Bones, he's 10 and his mother, who has been single and independent his entire life is getting married. He's grown up thinking that a one-parent household is the norm."

"Well, I think that it is becoming the norm in this country so he's not wrong."

"I don't care about the rest of the country, I never wanted him to grow up this way...He wanted to know why people want to fall in love if it just ends badly and then he wanted to know why Rebecca and I never got married and..." He let out a dramatic sigh.

"What did you tell him?" Brennan asked as she took a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"The truth or a version of it at least... I told him that even though things may end, badly that you have to remember the good times and as far as Rebecca and I are concerned I told him that she and I decided to be good friends and that makes us happy."

"That is the truth, isn't it?"

"It is - now. In the beginning that was not the case, we fought over everything regarding him. And honestly, I would like to tell him the true truth someday."

"That being?"

"That I wanted to marry his mother but she didn't want to marry me. I want him to know that I stood up and tried to do the right thing for him. I know that he's too young for that now but...I need for him to know that."

"Do you think that will change the way he views you?"

"I don't know, but it can't hurt..." He glanced over at Brennan and smiled gently, with a low voice he continued, "He's also pretty mixed up about the concept of love and loving someone…I guess that Rebecca and I haven't set the best examples for him."

"What did he say?"

"He wanted to know why people wanted to fall in love if it made them sad."

"He does have a valid point…" Brennan stopped herself when she realized that Booth didn't care that his child was being logical.

"It just kills me that he equates love with pain – I didn't even know that love could hurt you until I was in high school."

"Did he ask you about Gwen and what happened with her?" She regretted the question the moment it left her lips.

"No, he's never asked…You know, ever since he was born I have worried about how I would explain to him what I did as a sniper…How I would tell him that I had a job where I killed people but now…" He trailed off, lost in his worry.

Brennan slid closer to him and asked in a whisper, "Now what, Booth?" She didn't want to push but she wanted him to know that he could tell her anything, regardless of the subject.

"Now I'm worried about how I'm going to make this child, that I take to mass every other Sunday, understand that even though Gwen, you know…that even though she did what she did, I don't think she's a bad person or that she's in hell but that goes against what the church teaches us." With moist eyes he looked at Brennan and sighed, "What do I tell him, Bones?"

"You tell him the truth."

"And what's the truth?"

Brennan thought for a moment and then reached out for his hand before continuing, "That Gwen was sick, that it wasn't her fault and that even though she did something that hurt you and although it seems to be unforgiveable, you _do_ forgive her and wish her peace because you loved her."

Booth shook his head, "Why does it seem so simple when you put it like that."

"It's probably harder for you to see it clearly because you were in the eye of the storm – I had a different view."

"You know Bones, I wish I had been here to see you become this open, emotionally in-tune woman." He raised his hands to cup her face.

Pulling away from him, she admitted, "Honestly, I don't think that I would have changed if you had been here. Having you by my side for all those years, you were my emotional crutch…You had always let me evolve at my own pace, you never rushed me but…but with you gone I was forced, I mean that I had no choice but to face things head on – there was no one to act as a buffer between me and well, everything."

"Bones…I-I'm sorry, I never meant…" Booth silently cursed himself for the pain he had caused.

"I know, but truth be told, it ended up being a good thing. You opened the door to what I could be but I had to make the decision to walk through it myself, alone. I had to make those changes on my own."

Booth leaned in and kissed her forehead, "For the record, I never wanted you to change."

They sat quietly together for several minutes waiting for the gravity of the topic to dissipate. When it did, Booth spoke first, "You know, Parker asked me about you, too." He raised a brow in her direction.

"Really? What did he want to know?"

"He wanted to know if you made me happy, if I loved you."

This flustered Brennan, as calmly as she could, she asked, "What did you tell him?"

"The truth, which is yes...And I was thinking that maybe next weekend you could come hang out with us - so you guys can get use to each other."

Brennan grinned, he was taking that first step toward merging his worlds, "I would love to."

"Good." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "By the way, Rebecca wants us to come to the wedding next week."

"I know, I got my invitation well over a month ago."

"Of course you did…You and Rebecca talk much lately?" He asked with brows furrowed in worry.

"Not as much as we did before you came back but every once in awhile. Does it concern you that we talk?"

"It doesn't _concern_ me, it's just a little weird for me."

"Why? Afraid I'm going to find out something about you that is going to change my mind?"

Booth scoffed, "No, of course not. You and Rebecca can chat all you want – just keep in mind that the two of you know two very different versions of me."

"Maybe, but she knows your past and that's something that I envy." Brennan said with her eyes focused down at her hands, she hated to admit that she coveted another person's experience with Booth.

"If there's something you want to know about me, all you have to do is ask. I'm an open book – for the most part."

Through a sheepish smile she said, "Nothing comes to mind right now but I'm sure someday it will."

Booth nodded in agreement, "I will look forward to that day…So, what did you do this weekend? Are you relieved to have the place to yourself?"

Brennan shrugged, "Russ and Amy came and picked my Dad up yesterday afternoon and I spent last night and most of today working on my book. I haven't really had the opportunity to enjoy the solitude."

"How _is _the book coming?" They hadn't discussed her novel much since the previous one had been released.

She rolled her eyes, "Slowly...I don't have a lot to draw from right now."

"Have you decided Andy's fate?"

"Not yet and even if I did I wouldn't tell you until it was finished - you know the rules."

"Ah yes, Bones' rules. How could I have forgotten?"

"I have them for good reasons. I don't want to be put in a position where I'll feel the need to change it to make someone else happy. I need to stay true to the story."

"I have a hard time believing that you would change your novel to please someone else."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You...are...stubborn." He punctuated each word with a light tap on her nose.

Slightly hurt Brennan looked away from him, "I listen to people. I care...I'm not so stubborn that I can't see that what I choose to put out into the world has an effect on the people in _my _world."

"Hey, I know. I was just joking around. I know you care. I also know that however you decide to finish the story it'll be brilliant and unexpected and perfect."

She looked up with a grin, "You're certain of that?"

"I am. I don't doubt it at all."

"Thank you, Booth." Brennan tucked her legs underneath her and curled up next to him.

"Hey, don't get too comfortable – I have to go home eventually, I have a very impatient mutt waiting for me." It was times like this that Booth kicked himself for not hiring a dog walker.

Through an exaggerated yawn, she said before closing her eyes, "You are home."


	8. Chapter 8

"Sometimes we don't see certain things until we're ready to see them in a certain way."

_- Keeping the Faith  
_

"Do we have a case?" Brennan asked Sarah the following afternoon as she joined Brennan on the catwalk.

"Nope. I just had to get out of my office – Booth is driving me nuts. You know, I did not bust my hump at Quantico to be a professional tooth checker."

"What do you mean?"

Sarah flopped down on the sofa next to her partner, "Booth is so wound up about the department officially launching that every time he gets ready to go into a different meeting he pops into my office wanting to know if his hair is sticking up or if there's anything in his teeth - for a supposed tough guy he's pretty vain."

Brennan grinned, "Yeah, he's anxious about running his own division. Not that he wants me to know that. Is everything in order?"

"Of course, Booth just needs an assistant but he refuses to let Cullen hire a secretary for him. He says that he doesn't need it…What he really needs is someone who can act as him when he's not in the office – someone who's like-minded and that he trusts to make the right decisions."

"Someone like you?" Brennan asked with an eyebrow arched.

"What? No, not me – I have a job and I am happy. Very happy."

"You know, it's been my experience that when people have to declare that they're happy, they actually aren't." Angela pointed out as she joined the two women in the break area, "Sorry, but I couldn't help but over hear what you said."

"I _am_ happy…with my job…"

"What about you and your GG?" Angela asked.

Sarah rolled her eyes, "I don't know…We left things kind of up in the air, he'll be off the road in the fall and I guess we'll go from there."

Brennan sunk back into her seat and listened to the exchange between her friend and her partner, while 'girl-talk' fascinated her she was rarely able to fully participate – she just wasn't made that way.

"How's Ed adjusting to the city?"

"Fine. Why do you ask, Angela?"

"I'm just asking…I thought that since he's single and doesn't know a lot of people in town that I could set him up with a few eligible women I know. He is quite a find."

Sarah shrugged, "I guess you're right…I just don't see him that way."

Brennan thought she heard a twinge of something familiar in Sarah's voice and saw her opening to contribute to the conversation, she couldn't help but ask, "Well, in what way _do_ you see him?"

Sarah glared at Brennan, "You too?" She sighed, "Edward and I are just friends – always have been, always will be. We tried to date in college but there was no spark – nada, nothing between us."

Angela smirked at Sarah, "Hey, Bren why does that sound like something I've heard before? Like a remake of an old song that use to play daily in this place?"

"It does remind me of something…" Brennan said playfully.

"Guys…"Sarah whined, "Stop it, ok? I have heard this for too many years. I love Ed, he's my best friend in this entire world, there is no one I trust more _but _we are just friends."

Brennan stood up and turned to Angela, "Let's face it Ange, she's going to have to figure things out in her own time. And I know from personal experience that we can't tell make her open her eyes before she's ready. I just hope that it doesn't take her too long."

"Let's hope, Sweetie. See you tonight at Sweets' for dinner? I'm sure Sam is anxious for the company of adults."

"Hasn't Sweets been home with her this entire time?" Brennan asked.

"Exactly – why do you think she misses adults?" Angela asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Angela watched Brennan saunter down the steps while Sarah grumbled, "Unbelievable. Since when does she talk about me like I'm not in the room or like I'm a child who can't understand what she's saying?"

"Since she sees you possibly making the same mistakes she did."

"I thought things were good with her and Booth."

"They are but watch them at dinner tonight. You'll see how happy they are and that they're so grateful to have each other _now._ But there has to be a part of them that wonders what would have happened if one of them had been brave enough to take this step years ago."

"Booth and Brennan's situation is unique – they're the type of people that stories are written about. You know, the handsome but troubled hero and the brainy but beautiful heroine. That's not me and Ed. We are just two college buddies."

Angela realized that any convincing she tried to do at this point would be useless so she gave up, "Ok, then you won't mind me setting him up, right? I know several women who are looking for a well-educated, good looking man who rescues puppies in a crisp, white lab coat."

Sarah swallowed hard and shook her head, "Not at all – it'll be good for him."


	9. Chapter 9

"My, we seem to be a little short on brotherly love 'round here."

_- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid  
_

Edward was the first to arrive at his sister's house for dinner and he contemplated waiting in the driveway until someone else arrived. He hated that he had become so alienated from Finn and he had hoped that by moving closer to her they would be able to get back to the way they had once been but so far they hadn't. He knocked on the front door and let himself in after hearing a muffled invitation to do so from inside the house.

"Hey Stranger! How are you?" Finn greeted him as he entered the kitchen.

"I have no complaints. How are things here?" He looked around the room and it appeared that she was cooking for an army.

"Good. Busy but good." She replied as she darted around the kitchen.

"How often do you have everyone over? It seems like an awfully big job."

"This? No, it's nothing. Remember in college, we use to have people over all the time."

"Yeah, but that was beer pong and pizza now you're making lasagna for a New York Times best-selling author and some of the most renowned scientists in the world."

"You'd be surprised how often they don't live up to that kind of hype. They're just people. Granted they are a little odd and they don't have the most normal jobs but they're just people – good people."

Edward threw his hands up to stop her from rambling on, "I never said they weren't. I've met them all and like them just fine, I was just wondering if you were up to having so many people over. I know that you and Lance have been busy."

Finn tilted her head and looked at her younger sibling, she would never understand her need to jump on his case so quickly, "I'm sorry, Ed…I like having everyone here – it's nice to have the feel of family in this house, more often than just holidays."

"Then it's good you've found this group."

"Yeah…You know, when I talked to Sarah last night she said that things hadn't gotten any better with G. You should talk to her about it."

"Ah, no. I let her come to me. I don't approach her about her love life – do you forget what she did to me Valentine's Day junior year?" He rubbed his forefinger across a small scar along his eyebrow right eyebrow.

She threw a potholder at him, "It only took 5 stitches to close up!"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe you should care more about the fact that I had to get stitches in the first place?"

"Nope, Sarah is a tiny, little girl and you're a big guy. You should've been able to take her."

"Now, Finn would you really want your brother to be the kind of guy that went around hurting tiny, little girls?" Booth asked as he and Brennan entered the kitchen.

"Thank you!" He stuck his tongue out at his sister, thankful that there was now someone to be on his side

"Besides, I've seen McCready spar. I bet that even back there you didn't want to mess with her."

Edward nodded in agreement, "I think it's the red hair."

Booth smiled, "Yeah, I've never known a red head to not have a bad temper. Must be genetic."

Brennan looked around the kitchen and then at Finn, "Do you need help with anything?"

"Thanks but I'm almost done. Lance is up getting Ryan dressed and everyone else should be here any minute."

Edward saw a chance to avoid small talk so he grabbed a stack of plates, "I'll get the table ready." Brennan followed him to help and to chat with Edward, she was always interested to talk with people in different fields and there was something very familiar about the younger veterinarian.

"Are you guys any closer to finding a nanny?" Booth asked.

Finn sighed, "We interviewed a girl today that I thought was fantastic."

"No one's good enough for Sweets, huh?"

"I know his heart is in the right place but we go back to work in a few days, we have to find someone. Then I wonder if I'm the unhinged one because it doesn't seem like that hard of a choice for me."

"Finn, never doubt that you are the hinged one in your relationship. It's just that he's lost everyone…" Booth said quietly.

Before she had a chance to respond the rest of the group arrived and Sweets came down the stairs, giving everyone the chance to gawk at Ryan.

Over the course of dinner, Brennan noticed that Sarah often referred to Edward as Ned but she never heard anyone else, including Finn, call him that. She leaned over to Booth, "Why does Sarah call Edward Ned?"

Booth smirked, "Why do I call you Bones?"

"I don't know what you mean by that."

"I would assume that in the beginning she started calling him that because it annoyed him but over time it kind of became their thing and now it doesn't bother him." He quickly whispered.

Thinking it over for a beat, Brennan asked, "So, she chose to assert herself in his life by calling him a name that he hated but then ended up loving?"

"Is that what happened to you?"

Brennan nodded.

"Then, yes."

Angela cleared her throat and leaned across the table toward Edward, "Hey Eddie, I hear you're single and ready to mingle?"

This took the younger Finn by surprise, "I…Um, I am single but I'm not certain that I am really the mingling sort."

"It doesn't really matter what kind of sort you think you are. This is a big city and unless you know the right person, such as me, you'll never meet the right kind of women."

"Dude, you can't fight her. Stronger men have tried – just go along with her until she finds another project." Hodgins urged.

"My husband is right, any attempts to resist me will be thwarted but he's wrong about me moving on. I don't give up on anything until I'm satisfied with the results."

"Well, ok…I am pretty occupied with work right now but if you know someone who doesn't mind that then…"

Sarah took this as her cue to chime in, "They will also have to enjoy sitting in silence for hours at a time while he reads, and eating nothing but breakfast food because that's all he can cook, and they should have a soft spot for being constantly reminded that they've left a light on in the other room and they'll have to like getting dog and cat hair all over them any time they get in or out of his car because…" Sarah trailed off when she realized that everyone was staring at her as she rambled on.

Edward noticed the blush of embarrassment creeping across his friend's face and there was a part of him that loved it but it was another part of him that chose to try and rescue her, "You know Angela, no one knows me better than Sarah. You should probably ask her any questions you have about me – she'll be much more honest than I ever would."


	10. Chapter 10

"If you were happy every day of your life you wouldn't be a human being. You'd be a game-show host."

_- Heathers  
_

Not long after dinner, Booth looked around the house and Finn was nowhere to be found. Instinctively he knew where to find her so he headed outside to the deck, where he found Finn anxiously clutching a cigarette in her right hand.

"I thought you quit?" He asked sternly, causing her to jump.

As she turned to glare at him she sighed, "I did quit – I quit for almost 6 weeks. But now I'm just…I'm overwhelmed, that's all."

"What's wrong, Finny? I thought things were good."

"My husband is a better mother than me."

"Stop it. He's not."

"Yes, he is. You saw him in there tonight, Lance is just this big ball of love and compassion."

"And you're not?"

"Seeley, look at me. Do I look like a ball of love and compassion?" She asked dryly.

Booth looked over at Finn, in her torn jeans and faded Black Sabbath t-shirt and shook his head as she took a long drag of her cigarette, "Samantha, you are not the cookie-cutter young mother but you are a loving and compassionate person. You just express it differently."

"But Lance…he's a few days away from donning a Cosby sweater and handing out Mike-Brady-type pearls of wisdom - I can't compete with that!"

Grinning at the image of Sweets as a classic sitcom father, Booth tried to reassure Finn, "Nobody could compete with that and you don't have to. Since when do you think he's so perfect? You and I use to be able to laugh at him, together."

"I don't think he's perfect - I just think he's a better parent than I'll ever be. I didn't think it would be this hard."

"It's never easy, ever. If you weren't ready than why..."

"I've always liked kids and I'm good with them and I come from a big family so...I was ready, I am ready, I guess I just didn't expect Lance to be so...so…"

"So good at it? So ready to jump in with both feet, be damned the consequences?"

Finn looked over at him like he had taken the words right out of her mouth, "Yeah. How did you…?"

"That's who you married. Sweets is…He's anxious and way too cautious about everything but once he commits to something he gives everything he has to it. And that's what he's doing now – he's giving you and Ryan all he is and he wouldn't have it any other way."

"How are you so sure? Is that a guy thing?"

"No, it's not a guy thing – it's a genius thing. Bones is the same way. I've learned that I can't really question things that she decides on because she doesn't come to her conclusions lightly. There is more care and thought put into the mundane, daily decisions that she makes then what is put into the major decisions that I make."

"It did take him almost two months of us having coffee every week for him to ask me out so, I guess you could be right. And I hate it when you're right." She threw her cigarette down and heaved a high sigh of defeat.

Stretching out to lay his arm across her shoulders, "Well, it's such a rare occasion can we just bask in my right-ness for a few moments?"

Sarah rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't be me if I allowed that, would I?"

"No, no you wouldn't." He chuckled lightly under his breath.

She glanced over at him cautiously, "I'm not sure if Lance already asked you or not but, we'd like you to be Ryan's god-father."

"Finn, I'm honored but it's not my place. That's a job for family."

"Seeley Booth, you _are _family. You're all the family Lance has in this world."

"I understand that but you have a brother who is perfectly capable to be there for your son. Don't you think it's about time that you and Edward made up? I mean _really_ made up, not this half-hearted crap I've been seeing these past few months."

"You don't understand. Edward felt abandoned when I married Lance and I can't make that better for him. He's going to have to come to terms with that on his own."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe he's just waiting for you to invite him into your new life. Asking him to be Ryan's god-father could be a big step."

Finn pursed her lips and exhaled deeply out her nose, "I don't need for you to counsel me on how to fix things with my own brother. You could've just said no!"

"And what would you learn from that? Haven't you realized by now that me and all of those people in there aren't here to tell you whatever you want to hear to make you momentarily happy? I think it's safe to say that we're all pretty damn committed to making sure that happiness is long lasting for everyone we care about." When he was finished making his point he offered her the smile that he knew from experience few were able to resist and he was happy to learn that she was not one of the few.

Trying to conceal her own smile she grumbled, "Ugh…You make me sick – why do I confide in you?"

"Aw…I love you too, Finny."


	11. Chapter 11

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate"

_- Cool Hand Luke  
_

The following week Booth marched into Sarah's office, "McCready, I thought you and Bones were working?"

Sarah snapped herself out of her latest what's-G-doing-right-now daydream and turned her attention to her boss, she didn't want to tell him that she hadn't been to the lab in nearly a week, "Uh not today, we're planning on meeting tomorrow morning to go over our notes for next week's trial but…"

"That's odd…I just went over to the museum to see her and she wasn't there and everyone there thought she was out with you." He grabbed a seat across from her desk.

"And I thought she was at the museum, sorry but it's not my day to watch her."

"Yes, it is. You're her partner – everyday is your day to watch her!" Booth realized that he was overreacting and he tried to lighten the mood with a smile, "Unless you _know_ she's with me and then you can take the day off."

"Sorry Booth, I'm just not in the habit of keeping tabs on her when we're not working on a case – I figure she'll stay out of trouble if we're not in the middle of anything."

Booth shook his head, "I can't expect anyone to devote the same amount of attention to her that I did. She's been acting weird these past few weeks – have you noticed anything?"

Sarah sighed as she thought back over the previous week, the truth was that she was so caught up in her own drama that she hadn't given her partner much thought, "I-I don't know, she's been fine as far as I can tell. You guys have a fight?"

"No, we haven't even spent that much time together since the department started. We haven't had time to fight."

"Maybe that's the problem – no time for each other."

"I doubt it. Bones knows, more than anyone I've ever met, how easily people can get wrapped up in their work – when I first met her she would sleep at the lab for days in a row. Besides it's only been two weeks, so I'm sure that's not it." He was already standing by the time he finished his last sentence, "I'm gonna take off a little early – if anything comes up call me on my cell, ok?"

Booth was out the door before Sarah could even answer.

"Sure." Sarah said to the back of his head. For the second time since she had returned from vacation, she found herself a little jealous of her partner for having a man in her life who thought she should be a priority but who actively went out of his way to make her one.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When Brennan arrived home a few hours later she was surprised to find Booth's car in her driveway and even more surprised to find him and Baba in her kitchen.

"What's going on?" She asked as she dropped her bags on the kitchen table.

"Things were slow at the office and I realized that we haven't spent much time together these past few weeks and we won't get any time this weekend with the wedding. So, I thought I'd make dinner and I brought him with me so I didn't have to leave too early."

"Or not at all?" She asked as she picked up an orange and black duffel bag.

Booth blushed as he made his way closer to her, "Well, a guy can hope right?"

Brennan nodded and met his lips with her own, "Thank you so much for coming over and making dinner, it was very thoughtful of you."

"But?" Booth could practically see the apology forming on her face.

"I'm sorry, I have so much reading to do. I'm meeting with Sarah tomorrow morning to go over our upcoming case and I was so busy today that I didn't get to go over my notes."

He squinted at her, trying to get a read on exactly how she had spent her day, since he knew that she hadn't spent it with her partner, "I'm sorry to hear that Bones. What kept you so busy today? I wasn't aware that you were working on a case."

Brennan squatted down and scratched Baba behind his ears, "No case, just working on the things I've let pile up while I was working on cases. You know, the usual." She stood and headed out of the kitchen, toward her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Booth asked as he followed her.

"I was just going to change my clothes. Why are you following me?"

Booth took a seat on the bed, "Where were you today?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked with her back facing him.

"Bones, turn around and look at me. I went by the lab this afternoon to see you and you weren't there."

Brennan turned back to the dresser and began rummaging through it, "I do leave the lab sometimes, Booth. If I remember correctly, you spent the first few years that you knew me trying to get me out of there."

"I just thought it was unusual that you weren't there especially since no one, including your partner, knew where you were."

"Are you checking up on me? I accept that you are protective and I understand why you are that way but in case you have forgotten, I can take care of myself. I did just fine while you were gone." Having found what she had been looking for she turned on her heel and headed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Is this what you're going to do? Every time I do or say something that upsets you, you're going to throw the past in my face?" Booth asked the closed the door, when he didn't get a response he stormed back into the kitchen. While he finished making dinner he started to fear that things weren't going to work out the way he wanted them to, that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to truly share her life with anybody.

A few minutes later, Brennan joined him. Her hair was pulled up, off her freshly washed face and she was wearing a white, dress shirt that belonged to him – one that he thought he had lost. "Booth, I didn't mean to 'throw the past in your face', I just…I'm sorry."

The sight of her was enough to put his fears on the backburner, at least for the moment, "Bones, I wasn't checking up on you, I stopped by to see you on my way back from a meeting and I was concerned when nobody seemed to know where you were. And then it dawned on me that I probably didn't know where you were because I haven't been as attentive as I could or should have been these past few weeks."

Brennan covered her eyes as if his statement embarrassed her, "Booth, you are always more than attentive enough. You didn't know where I was because I didn't want you to know."

"So, I'm not slipping? I still pay as much attention to you as ever – good to know. Are you going to share your day with me or are you going to force me to tap your phones and bug your office?"

"No, you don't have to result to that. I didn't want you to know because I wanted it to be a surprise. I had a meeting a Georgetown University today." She paused to her statement register with him.

"Why? Are you going to lecturing there?"

"Not exactly…For the past few years they have been offering me a position on their faculty but until now it was never anything I seriously considered. I called them a few weeks ago and arranged for a meeting to discuss the terms of the offer."

"You're actually thinking about leaving the Jeffersonian?" Booth leaned against the counter, unsure of what to think.

She smiled, "I'm not thinking about it, I am doing it. Not right away, I'll start at the university next January, in time for winter term. With Cam and Hodgins and Angela leaving, I want to give the museum enough time to replace me and to make sure that the new team they install is ready. I don't know when I'll make the announcement so I want this to stay just between us for now."

"Bones, I-I know that I told you I wanted us to have more time together but…I can't have you giving up something you love for me."

"It's not for you, Booth. I'm actually making a fairly selfish decision. In the time that I have spent at the Jeffersonian, I have strayed farther and farther away from my work as an anthropologist. By taking this position, I'm moving a little closer back to it."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have even considered it if it wasn't for me or us. And I'm not ok with that."

Brennan stood and walked toward him, "You don't have to be ok with it, as a matter of fact I'm quite certain that once you hear everything this job will involve you won't be too thrilled with it. But I'm excited beyond words with the idea of branching out, moving on."

"What am I not going to be thrilled about?"

"Well, in addition to the generous salary they are offering me as a tenured professor; I will get to chose the number of classes I teach each semester, I will have summers off and I will supervise two digs yearly with my fourth-year students."

With a satisfied smile he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, "Twice a year, huh? To what un-Godly type places?"

Playfully she responded, "Don't worry, I requested that I only go to the most dangerous, least safe places where they happen to unearth anthropologically significant finds."


	12. Chapter 12

"These are the simple rules. No barking, now growling, you will not lift your leg to anything in this house. This is not your room. No slobbering, no chewing, you will wear a flea collar. This is not your room. No begging for food, no sniffing of crotches, and you will not drink from my toilet. This is not your room."

_- Turner and Hooch  
_

"You've GOT to be kidding me."

Sarah bristled at Edward's tone. 'Well…what was I supposed to say? Your sister isn't up to taking care of him with the baby and Booth is weird about who watches his dog…Besides, He's my BOSS, and she's my partner…I'm the logical choice."

Edward opened his palms in surrender and sat back in his chair. "Just…don't call me in the middle of the night with some 'emergency' like…'Ew the dog licked me in the face!" he mocked her.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and pushed her food around on her plate. "Shut up." She barely held back a smile. Edward laughed at her and Sarah slammed her palm on the diner bar. "I only did that ONE time."

As the hint of her smile turned into a fully fledged one, Edward laughed again, then grew serious. "I'm not joking. Do not call me. I will not answer," he mocked.

Sarah shrugged, "Fine by me. Besides, I won't need to call you. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Edward nodded. "Yes, I'm sure it will." He took the last fry from her plate and ate it. "On second thought" he spoke through potato, "Go ahead and call me. I charge $100 an hour for house calls."

Sarah threw her napkin at him and stood up. "Good, then you can pay, rich guy" she laughed and ran out of the diner.

Edward tossed some bills on the counter, then ran a bit to catch up with her.

Sarah turned around right as he approached her, a sassy grin on her face. "I'm only watching Baba for one night – I think I'm more than capable of taking care of a dog for one night."

Edward followed her to her car, "Seriously, if you need something tonight and I don't answer my cell, leave me a message and I'll call you right back."

"I didn't realize that you were working tonight."

He looked down at the gravel in parking lot and then back up at her, "Uh…No, I have dinner plans." Hoping that would be the last he would have to divulge to her, he started to walk away.

The investigator in her couldn't let his response be the end of their conversation, she called out "Dinner? With who?"

Turning back toward her and Edward shrugged, "Someone Angela set me up with. I really don't know much about her to tell you the truth."

Sarah giggled uncontrollably, "You're going on a blind date? Aren't you too old or not desperate enough for that?"

"Thank you for laughing, that makes me feel so much better about an already uncomfortable situation. You know, there is a reason I don't tell you things."

Playfully pinching his cheeks, Sarah tried to remind him of her place in his life, "Aw come on, Ned. You always end up telling me everything eventually."

"I'll have to rethink that. Maybe you don't need to know everything about me."

"No, but _you_ need me to know everything."

Edward hated to admit it but she was right, if he didn't share his life with her than with who would he? "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have to get back to the office."

"Ok, have fun or your hot date!" She threw air kisses at him until he turned bright red and ducked out of her sight. As she got into her car and headed home to make her place was as dog friendly as possible she found herself fighting the urge to call Angela and pump her for information about Edward's mystery date.

By the time Booth arrived at her apartment to drop Baba off, she had almost convinced herself that she didn't care who Edward was dating. Booth spent nearly 45 minutes going over his very detailed and explicit directions. After assuring him that she and his precious pooch would be fine, Booth left.

For the next 20 minutes, Sarah found herself in a staring contest with the dog. It seemed that they were both equally weary of the other.

"You can do this." She out loud to herself, "You are a highly trained agent, capable of just about anything. He is just a dog." Looking at Baba she told him, "You are just a dog, so what if my boss has a picture of you on his desk right next to his son – you are just a dog!"

When she had finally persuaded herself and Baba that she had everything under control she thought again about Edward and his dinner plans. Then she reminded herself that she didn't care – she didn't care at all.


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, it's not the men in your life that counts, it's the life in your men."

_- I'm No Angel  
_

"I'm impressed that we have been in the car, on our way to a _wedding_, for nearly 2 hours and you haven't made a single comment about biological urges or half the world being pigmies…" Booth spoke without taking his eyes off of the road, he didn't have to look at her to know that she was rolling her eyes.

Inhaling deeply and rolling her eyes, Brennan responded, "Polygamists, not pigmies Booth."

"Whatever…Why aren't you spouting off?"

Brennan glanced over at him and shrugged, "I have nothing to say. Rebecca is an adult, she's been dating Greg for over 3 years – I trust that she's making a wise decision."

"Just like that?" He turned to face her while he brought the car to a stop at a traffic light.

She nodded, "Just like that…I have my own life to worry about."

"Maybe that's why you were so opinionated before. Nothing in your personal life to distract you."

"That's a logical assumption." Looking out the window she asked, "Are we getting close?"

"We've got about an hour to go. I can't believe you're so anxious to get out of the car. I remember a time when we spent almost all of our time together in the car, on the road and you never complained then." Booth reached across the bench seat and pinched her thigh.

"I'm not complaining now." She tried to swat his hand away but ending up holding onto it, there were times when she forgot that she was allowed to actually do that.

"Ok, the wedding is at 1pm, followed by the reception which should last about three hours. Hopefully, if all goes well we could be back in DC by 9pm tomorrow night."

"We're not even there yet and you're already anticipating leaving. What's your hurry?"

"Did it ever occur to you that seeing my ex get married isn't my idea of a vacation?"

Brennan smiled and squeezed his hand, "Actually, it did occur to me but I believe that you are truly happy for Rebecca…I know why you want to get home."

"Why?"

"You hate that you had to leave Baba behind. I think you are as worried about that dog as you would be Parker." She couldn't help but giggle at her own remark.

Booth shook his head, "I know he's fine. If I can trust McCready to keep an eye on you I'm pretty sure I can trust her to watch my boy."

"You don't need her to keep an eye on me."

"You're probably right but I still like the idea of you working with someone I trust."

"What are you going to do when I start at Georgetown? Run background checks on everyone I come into contact with?"

Booth looked over at her with a spark in his eye that made her shiver slightly, "Is that a challenge, Bones?"

* * *

"You've GOT to be kidding me." Sarah found herself echoing Edward's words from earlier in the day to an ashamed Baba. "I was in the shower for seven! How did you manage to vomit from one end of my living room to the other in seven minutes?"

Once she had gotten over the initial disgust of the situation, she started to panic. This was her boss' dog and she didn't care how nice of a guy Booth seemed to be – she had heard the stories of his past as a sniper and his borderline reckless behavior during his early days at the bureau, this was not a man she wanted to upset.

Her first instinct was to call Edward, as she grabbed her phone she remembered him mocking her earlier in the day and that he was out on a date. She started to pace across the non-soiled part of her living room, she knew that no matter who she called they would all tell her to call Edward. After 10 minutes of pacing and trying to get Baba to drink water and trying to figure out how to take a dog's temperature, Sarah gave in and picked up her phone.

Edward was amused but not surprised to get the call from Sarah during dinner. Truth be told, he was even a little relieved. His dining companion was pretty enough and pleasant enough but he knew almost instantly that she wasn't what he was looking for. He apologized profusely to his date, telling her that there was a pet emergency and he had to leave. He slipped out before making plans for another date.

"When did this happen to me?" Edward asked his reflection in the rearview mirror, "When did I decide that a night with a puking dog was better than a nice dinner with a pretty woman?" He knew the answer but chose to not say it out loud, _this_ happened to him the minute he decided to share a zip code with Sarah McCready again.


	14. Chapter 14

"Knowing is the easy part. Saying it out loud is the hard part."

_- The Horse Whisperer_

The wedding was beautiful and Brennan was surprised at how emotional a simple and short ceremony could be. She stood off to the side of the crowd at the reception and watched Parker running from table to table getting kissed and pinched by several older ladies. Brennan marveled at how much he was like his father; he listened to everyone, even if he didn't really understand or care about what they were saying and it seemed that he knew instinctively when to flash his 'charm' smile to get what he wanted.

In the midst of the happiness of the moment Brennan unexpectedly found herself thinking about the night Gwen died and the list she had found in Booth's truck, the list of things Booth loved about Gwen. While she watched Booth from across the room, she wondered if he had a list about her. He caught her gaze and threw a wink her way, and at that moment she knew for certain that she had a list about him. As he started to make his way to her, Brennan began to take a mental inventory of everything she loved about him. By the time he was within arm's reach of her she decided that she didn't need for him to identify what specifically he loved about her - she just needed for him to love her.

"You about ready to head home?"

Brennan nodded, "I am."

"Ok, let's say good-bye to Rebecca and Greg and grab Parker and we'll head home." Booth started to walk back toward the crowd but Brennan grabbed his hand stopping him.

"Booth, I want you to come home with me."

He grinned, "Had a little too much to drink there, Bones? I just said we're going."

"No, I haven't had too much to drink. When we get back to DC, I-I..." She paused, knowing that the next few words that came out of her mouth would change everything, "I want you...I would like for you to consider living with me."

"Bones, we've been dating for what, three months? I don't think we should rush into anything. Weddings have a tendency to make people a little giddy, you should think about this."

Brennan was taken aback by Booth's statement, "Rush into anything? Booth, we have been dancing around each other for the better part of eight years!" She took a step closer to him and grabbed his lapels in her fists, "If we don't know each other well enough at this point to know what we want than we don't belong together at all. And you should know me well enough to know that very few external events influence my actions."

Booth took his hands and placed them over her much smaller ones, unclenching them from his suit, "I love you and I know the courage to be able to tell you that was a long time coming but I don't want to ruin this. I don't want everything we've been through to have been for nothing." He looked down at their hands, folded together and looked back up at her, "I can't fail at you and me."

"How long have you known me? I rarely fail at anything I try for." She smiled shyly, "You and I we're…We're solid and we have been since, since when did you say?"

He leaned toward her and dropped her hands before placing his own on her shoulders, "Well, if I recall we had different opinions about when we were solidified. So, let's just say...We've been solid since New Orleans - since you knew that I was the 'first one of my kind', sound about right to you?"

Brennan blushed as she thought back to the tumultuous Thanksgiving they had spent at Swinn's house the previous year and the truths she admitted that day, "That's right, you were the first person I ever met who didn't let me block them out. You just kept coming back, breaking me down." She looked up at him with damp eyes and she pursed her lips to keep them from quivering, "That was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"And yet there are days when it feels like I hopped on that plane yesterday." Booth closed his eyes and rested his forehead on her own, "I want to live with you and I want to make a life with you but...There's just so much to consider, I have a son and a new department to run and Baba...I just..."

"I have learned that there's always something - that life happens." She pulled back to look him in the eye, "It gets difficult and confusing and there are days when you feel like you're going to drown from the weight of it all. But I know that I want you beside me while all of these things are occurring. Parker and Baba and the bureau are all things that are apart of you and because of that simple fact, they are all things that I want in my life."

"Ok, but you do realize that you are inviting chaos into your perfectly organized life, right?" He asked, causing Brennan to nod in agreement very enthusiastically. Booth cupped her face and placed a gentle kiss on her lips as the gravity of the situation found a resting place on his shoulders - he was on the verge of receiving everything he ever wanted and there was a place inside of him that feared it.


	15. Chapter 15

"The kindness that comes from enormous strength, from an inner power so strong that every act, no matter what, is more proof of that power. That's what all women resent. That's why they try to cut you down, because your knowledge of yourself and them is so right, so true, that it exposes the lies by which they, every scheming one of them, live by. It takes a true woman to understand that the purest form of love is of a man who denies himself to her..."

_-Carnal Knowledge  
_

A few weeks later, the entire Jeffersonian Medco-Legal lab team gathered at the Hodgins-Montenegro estate to say good-bye to their fearless leader. Cam was ending her career with the Jeffersonian to pursue a life with a man she loved.

As Finn and Sweets pulled up to the estate, he turned to his wife before exiting their vehicle, "Why can't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"Lance, I'm fine. I'm nervous that this is the first time we've left Ryan with Lauren but other than that I'm fine."

"You're not fine. And you have to know that it kills me to know that you can tell Booth what's on your mind but you won't tell me. And we have to get use to leaving Ryan with Lauren – we go back to work Monday morning."

Undoing her seatbelt and opening her door she huffed, "I know that I have to get use to it but it doesn't make it easier." When he met her at her side of the car she continued, "Can we please just have a normal, good night? Please?"

Sweets kissed her on the temple and mumbled, "Sure…"

Entering the house, Finn was surprised to see Edward there. When she stopped to talk with him, Sweets headed out to the garden for the party, "What brings you here? Do you even know Cam?"

"I met her once or twice but Angela invited me. Do you mind me being here, sis?"

"Of course not. I love that you're integrating yourself into my life. It makes me very happy." Finn said with a hint of a tear in her eye.

"You ok, Sammy?" He asked.

"I'm fine, this is…it's the first time we've left the baby."

"I guarantee you he's fine. Did you or did you not screen this woman as if she was going to be working for the Secret Service?"

"We did…it's just hard. It's so much harder than I thought it would be."

Edward sensed that she was speaking about more than just leaving Ryan with the nanny but he let it go for now, "Come on, the party's out back and so is the booze." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the group.

After eating a lavish meal prepared by Hodgins' staff, the group found themselves lounging in the garden, drinking wine and telling their favorite Cam stories.

When she had heard enough embarrassing tales, she insisted that the group do one last fun thing of her choosing. Knowing that she was leaving them all for the West Coast she decided on a fun-no-holds-bar game of Truth or Dare.

"Truth or Dare, Camille? We're not all 13 like Sweet-tart?" Booth groaned.

"Thanks for that BG." Sweets grinned, reminding Booth he never forgot anything.

"Aw, come on Seeley. What could you possibly have to hide? We're all friends here." She said with a coy smile. "I'll start…Dr. Brennan, truth or dare?"

Brennan looked over at Booth unsure of what to choose, he grinned, "Bones, you are all about the truth – go with your gut."

"Fine, I'll take truth."

"Ok…When did you decide that you were in love with Booth?" Cam asked, on the edge of her seat.

"Good question, Cam! I have often wondered that myself." Angela mused.

Brennan thought carefully, wondering if she should even answer the question but Booth was right, she was all about the truth. Quietly, looking at Booth, she said, "Last Thanksgiving."

Booth's eyes were sparkling under the garden's twinkle lights, "Really?" He asked. "That's good to know. Now it's your turn to ask someone."

Brennan turned to him and asked, "Truth or dare, Booth?"

Puffing his chest out, he confidently requested, "Dare, Bones. What won't I do for you?"

She looked around the group, Sweets lounging on an Adirondack chair, Angela and Hodgins cuddled up on a blanket, Sarah and Edward rocking in the hammock and Finn sitting in Hodgins' beloved novelty hand chair that Angela had banished to the garden. She looked over at Booth, her new roommate, the manliest man she knew and smiled, "Booth, I dare you to slow dance with Sweets. Hodgins you do have a sound system out here right?"

Booth leaned over to Brennan, "I thought you loved me?"

"I do…But I also know how much you love and hate Sweets so…"

"Woot! Woot! Go get'em big boy!" Angela cheered as Brennan stood and dragged Booth to his feet.

Once he was standing, Brennan leaned into him and whispered, "Do this for me and I'll wear that thing you love so much."

He grinned, "The lab coat?"

"And nothing else." She purred.

This new development invigorated Booth, "Ok, Sweetie pie, let's go!"

When he met Sweets in the middle of the group, Booth looked over at Hodgins, "Crank up the tunes, bug boy!"

As Tammy Wynette's _Stand By Your Man_ came blaring from the speakers, Booth and Sweets took each other's hands and swayed back and forth, keeping their bodies as far apart as possible. The entire group laughed and mocked the two men as they danced. And Booth threatened severe torture to anyone who had the nerve to pull out a cell phone camera. After 40 seconds of her cruelty, Brennan decided that the dare was done and she had Hodgins turn down the music. The two men parted quickly and resumed their previous seats.

Booth looked at Brennan, "We're still on, right?"

Brennan nodded with a grin, "I believe it's your turn."

Booth surveyed the group, his gaze landed on Finn whom he noticed had been putting away sangria like it was her job, "Finny, my heart. Truth or dare?"

Dryly, without thinking she said, "Truth."

Booth looked at her seriously and asked, "What do you regret most in your life?"

The thing she regretted most in the world was something she knew better than to mention and she thought that Booth knew better than to ask because she was certain that he shared the same regret – neither of them could save Gwen.

Looking over at her husband, who wouldn't look at her, Finn replied, "I have none." She shrugged, "Maybe I'm too young, maybe when I'm ancient like you, Seeley, I'll have tons. You have plenty, don't ya?"

"I don't like you drunk Finny, you get mean." Booth said with a shade of disappointment in his voice, he let he comment go because he knew why she was lashing out. "But go ahead and pick the next victim."

"Angela, like…like I even have to ask you. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare, baby dare." The artist challenged.

Finn tried to think of something that Angela would actually be embarrassed to do and then all of a sudden it dawned on her sangria-soaked mind, "I-I want you to take this beautifully-crafted, red hand chair… and put it in the living room…the one yous guys spend the most time in _and_ keep it there for…. at least a…. month. But not until later 'cause…I don't wanna get up right now."

"That thing is hideous. Can't I just flash everyone?"

"Ah, Angela. I think you have flashed everyone here at least once in the past. And I personally would love to have my chair back in the house." Hodgins pointed out

"Fine…but only for a month." Angela sat back down on the blanket like a spoiled child. "I guess it's my turn. Truth or dare, Sarah" Angela challenged.

Sarah frowned. "I don't know," she pondered. "The last time Finn chose truth, I think she lying."

Cam laughed. "Well, come on, no one here believes that Finn could possibly have any regrets. Her life is perfect. The perfect house, husband, baby, career – she's the walking- talking embodiment of what we were always told we could be."

Finn swallowed hard, but forced a smile to her lips. "Yep, I am Ms. Perfection." She took a quick drink, then another, of her wine.

Sweets looked at her, and narrowed his eyes slightly, but didn't comment. He was sitting fairly far away from her, and didn't want to make a scene in front of their friends. Besides, he was pretty sure that Booth had already picked up on their tension.

"So what'll it be, McCready?" Booth asked her.

Sarah bit her lip, unsure of what to do. All of these people really knew each other. She knew them all pretty well, but…

Edward leaned into her a bit from the side, their bodies slightly swaying inward in the hammock. "Come on, Sarah, choose."

Sarah smiled slightly. Okay, Edward. He was there, and that made her feel better. "Dare" she challenged.

Angela smiled and opened her mouth to respond.

"I think you should kiss Edward" Brennan blurted out.

Angela's eyes widened. "Sly, Brennan" she muttered, shaking her head.

"What?" Brennan hissed under her breath. "I thought you and I agreed the other day…"

Angela shook her head quickly and whispered, "Yes, but these things take time!"

"Oh" Brennan frowned, then spared a glance toward Edward and Sarah across the room.

Booth was close enough to hear their conversation, "What are you two up to? No meddling? Got it?"

Thankfully, Brennan realized that Edward and Sarah were too far away to have heard the conversation between her, Angela and Booth.

Sarah laughed confidently. "Yeah, okay"

Edward chuckled too, careful to keep his cool. "Lay one on me, hot stuff." He winked.

"Remember the last time we kissed, Ned?" she asked him.

"You kissed?" Sweets asked, surprised.

Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, yeah. It was nothing. We were in college, and someone dared us to."

"Kind of like this, actually." Edward added.

"Right, and under mistletoe, too, I think." Sarah agreed. "Anyways, you know, we did…and there was nothing there. Totally blah."

Booth narrowed his eyes. "That true, there, _Ned_?"

Edward nodded, "Yep, that's true…blah, blah…"

"Hmmm…"Angela eyed them. "Well, then this should be an easy dare."

Sarah took a deep breath and turned toward her friend. He smiled and she chuckled, squeezing her eyes shut and puckering her lips for effect.

Edward laughed, then didn't so much kiss her as press his smiling lips against her puckered ones. They rubbed once, and the sensation forced Sarah to swallow a gasp, her eyes flying open just in time to see his sliding shut.

She pulled away quickly, but since she was sitting in a hammock, she fell back. Their balance shifted and Edward yelped as they both fell to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Hodgins laughed, reaching out a hand to help Edward up.

"Yeah, I'm good." He said, turning and extending a hand toward his friend. "How about you, Sarah? You good?" His voice slightly cracked on the last word, but Sarah ignored that, and instead, she looked at his hand, outstretched toward her. She met his eyes and placed her hand in his, letting him pick her up. "I'm good." she whispered, a confused feeling spreading through her.

As they sat back down, Sarah looked around the garden and was glad to see that everyone had already moved on to other conversations. Well, everyone except for Edward. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes and could see he was pressing his hands to his knees, quietly thinking about something.

As Sarah looked around the room again, she realized there was one other person still looking at them.

Finn raised her eyebrows pointedly, but didn't make any comments. Instead she just took another drink of her wine.


	16. Chapter 16

"Ned, I would love to stay here and talk with you... but I'm not going to."

_- Groundhog Day_

As the group quieted down, Brennan took the opportunity to grab everyone's attention. She stood and cleared her throat and abruptly said, "I'm leaving the Jeffersonian." This silenced everyone and she continued, "I've been struggling for the past few weeks, trying to determine the best way to tell all of you and…I-I guess now is a good a time as any."

"You're leaving the Jeffersonian?" Angela asked in amazement.

Brennan nodded with a smile as she took her seat next to Booth.

"Are you going to write full time?" Sweets inquired.

"No, I'm going to teach at Georgetown University. They've been offering the position to me for years."

"The board is going to have a coronary when they find out they're losing the _entire_ forensic team at once." Cam pointed out.

"I have considered that but after examining the situation, I realized that having to train an entire team at once will be more efficient. I'll stay until I'm certain that our replacements are prepared but…" She grinned at Booth, "But truth be told I'm not that concerned about the board of directors I'm suddenly aware of more important things."

"Dr. Brennan, I think this is most excellent. You're finding a way to balance your personal and professional lives. I think you'll find it to be quite rewarding."

"Sweets! You're not her therapist anymore – quit it!" Booth grumbled. For reasons he couldn't name, Brennan's announcement to the group bothered him.

"Booth, back off!" Finn barked across the garden, "He's just trying to supportive of her choices. I thought that's what _we_ did?" She asked in a mocking tone, "I thought we supported each other in their movements toward happiness?"

"What is she talking about?" Brennan asked Booth, "Did you tell her that we were moving in together?"

Brennan's question caused a collective gasp in the garden.

"No, but you just did." He hissed at her.

Cam stood up suddenly. "Whoa." She laughed as she pulled her phone from her back pocket. "Vibrate…_interesting_ sensation…" Thankful for the interruption, she answered, and it was soon obvious that she was talking to her new boyfriend. She excused herself from the group, but since she was pretty much the reason for the party, there was a moment of awkwardness.

Sweets stood up first, stretching his arms. "Well, I think we'd better go, don't you think, Sam? Time to check on Ryan?"

Finn was tempted to make a snarky comment about how all of a sudden _he_ seemed to care about leaving Ryan at home, but instead she just stood up and picked up her purse. "Yeah, sure, let's go."

Angela looked around the room. "You guys don't all have to leave yet. It's early still!"

"Yeah, but…" Sarah stood up too, running her hands down her thighs, "I'm kind of tired, and I…" _was just kissed by my best friend_, "I…uh, well, I should go."

Edward watched as his friend left the room quickly. He stood as well and helped Angela gather some of the plastic cups. "Angela, I uh…I wanted to say thanks again for setting me up the other night."

Angela nodded, "Sure, any time." A slight smile crossed her face, but she hid it well behind friendliness. "Did you have a good time? Did the night end well?" she teased.

Edward searched for a truth. The night had ended well but not with his designated date for the evening. He smiled as he said, "The night did end well, I can say that."


	17. Chapter 17

"The thought of this life, that's what kept me going. I had an idea of our happiness."

_- The Hours  
_

As Edward rushed to his car, he heard footsteps behind him.

"I just don't understand why you still feel the need to keep everything so private, Booth!" Brennan rasped and Edward turned around in time to see Booth try to rebut her.

"Bones…it's not that…come on, you've got to know…oh, Edward…hey." Booth waved.

Edward smiled and waved and made his way to his car. "Goodnight you two. I'm sure that I'll see you around."

Once they were both inside the car, Brennan asked Booth, "What's_ really_ bothering you?"

"I'm just not ready to blab to everyone about our relationship – it's personal. I thought _you _would understand that."

Brennan shook her head, "That's not what's wrong."

"If you're so smart and you know what my problem is then tell me!"

"If you don't know, then I'm not going to tell you." They rode the rest of the way back to Brennan's in silence. When they arrived, Booth didn't get out of the car, "Aren't you coming in?" she asked.

"You know…I think I'm gonna go for a drive and clear my head…I'll be back."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Edward drove around for a bit, trying to put Sarah and the kiss they shared out of his mind but he had no luck. Before he knew it, he was parking outside a bar he'd only been to once before. He was in the mood for a choice scotch and the darkness of a dive bar. Once inside he grabbed a stool ordered two. No sense in wasting time – it was one of those nights.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When Swinn arrived home, they were pleased to find a sleeping baby and a well-kept house. Nanny Lauren was going to work out after all.

When she left, Sweets turned to Finn, "Samantha, I don't understand what's going on with you and I am a _very _understanding person."

She spun around to face her husband, "I'm a fraud, Lance."

"What?"

"I'm supposed to go back to work on Monday, counseling other people on how to cope with their lives when I barely have a grasp on mine."

Sweets shot her a questioning look.

"Ryan is always fussy for me – he never stops crying for me, you always have to step in…I can't fix this thing between me and Edward, I don't even know what the problem is anymore…I-I am tired all the time…"

"Honey, you're a new mother. Feeling this way is perfectly normal."

"No, it's not! It's not perfectly normal to adopt a child and not be happy." She exhaled deeply, unable to fathom what she had just admitted.

"You're not happy?"

Finn shook her head, "Not as happy as you are…"

"Why? I thought…We made this decision together. We both wanted this!"

"You _needed_ this."

"I needed this?"

"You have an irrational need to be needed and with Gwen gone…Lance, there was a void."

Sweets started to walk away. This was not something he wanted or needed to hear.

"Wait! I love our son…I wanted Ryan, I truly did but you _needed_ him. And I was willing to put aside my fears and jump into this because you deserved it."

"Why am I just now hearing about this?"

Because…because this is what I do – I fix people. I solve problems, I make the bad good for everyone…But who makes things better for me?"

Snatching his keys off the kitchen counter and before slamming the door he said, "I thought I did, guess I was wrong."


	18. Chapter 18

"Every man... every man has to go through hell to reach paradise."

_- Cape Fear (1991)_

When Sweets arrived at the bar nearest to his house, he was surprised to find his brother-in-law and Booth chatting together. Both nursing a scotch, both appearing miserable.

"Hey Sweetness! What brings you here?"

As he took a seat next to Booth, he motioned to the bartender to bring them three more drinks, "Sam and I had a fight…Our first real fight, actually."

"About?" Booth asked.

"She's unhappy. She said that she only agreed to adopt Ryan because Gwen died."

"That doesn't sound like Sam." Edward pointed out.

"Is that what she said or what you heard?" Booth inquired

Sweets shrugged, unsure about his answer.

Booth laughed lightly, "You and Bones are so similar – no wonder I love you both so much!"

Sweets realized that he was quite a few drinks behind Booth but decided to go along with the conversation anyway, "What do you mean?"

"Both so brilliant and yet so…" He rubbed his hand over his temple, "You hit the jackpot with Finny. You are so incredibly lucky to have her."

"I know."

Edward sat quietly, getting a sneak peek into his sister's life. The life he thought was so perfect.

"If you know how lucky you are then give her time to adjust to this new life. Not everyone adapts to change at warp speed like you…And for the record, she's not wrong about you. You like having someone depending on you, needing you."

"I do not have 'an irrational need to be needed', as she said. I've always wanted to be a father and now felt like the right time."

"Because no one else needed you at the moment!" Booth grumbled.

"I…I suppose, I hadn't thought of it that way."

Booth nodded and gulped down his drink. He wanted to ask Edward about Sarah, but Sweets wasn't done with him yet.

"So, what sort of discontent brings you here?" The young doctor asked.

"What makes you think I'm not content?"

"Happy men don't drink scotch alone."

"I'm not alone – I'm here with Ed."

"Something tells me you didn't expect to find him or anyone else here for that matter."

"Fine…It's Bones she's…What is it that makes a person, a man, question his happiness? Happiness that he's been yearning for forever."

Sweets thought for a moment before answering, "Your past is what makes you question your happiness."

"Wouldn't my past make me thankful for my _present_ happiness?"

Sweets scoffed, "You'd think, right? But your life experiences have taught you that when good things come into your life – they don't stay."

"Yeah…" Booth nodded, annoyed once again that Sweets knew him better than he knew himself. He turned to face Edward, "Ok, we know why I'm here and why Sweets is here, why the hell are you here?"

"Eh…I didn't feel like going home so…" He looked down into his empty glass.

"Is work okay?" Sweets asked.

Edward nodded.

"And the family is healthy?" Booth asked.

Again, Edward nodded.

"Then it's gotta be a woman," Booth turned to tell Sweets but found that the young one had wandered off.

"Its not a wo-" Edward sighed, "Fine…it's Sarah. She's weird or at least she's acting weird." He motioned to bartender for another round.

Booth squinted at him through his scotch haze and asked, "How long have you known her?"

"Since freshmen year of college."

"And you've never dated?"

"Nope."

"And I'm guessing that you don't think much of her GG?"

"Nope."

"You ever tell her that?" Booth took a gulp of his drink and waited for Edward to articulate a response.

"N-Not in so many words…I think she knows – she's gotta know…She just deserves better than him, you know?"

Booth smiled, "Are you better than him?"

"In the broader sense of the word, yes I am better – not necessarily for Sarah but…but yeah."

Booth laughed, "You guys are close, right?"

"Yup."

"She drive you crazy?"

"Yup."

"Well, when you find one who makes you crazy happy but still makes you just plain crazy – then that's the one. For better or worse."

Edward smiled, "You're fighting with the one that makes you crazy?"

Booth shook his head and sighed, "Kind of… But it's not her fault…Since we've started this whole new relationship, she's made all the moves except the first one - I at least got to do that…But now, I'm not use to her leading me and I'm having a hard time adjusting."

"But you know how she feels about you – there's no confusion or tension."

"We spent years in a confused tense state…And I guess I should be thrilled that it's over but…I feel the need to make a grand gesture."

"Like marriage?"

Booth laughed, "It crosses my mind, daily, but then…Bones is not the marrying type, or at least she never was before…"

"You won't know unless you ask." Sweets said as he sidled up to the two at the bar.

"Where've you been?" Booth asked.

"Reserving a pool table – let's go."

"Ah, you don't want none of this." Booth clumsily gestured toward himself, "Remember, I have perfect hand-eye coordination."

"$10 a ball?" Sweets asked hopefully.

"You got a deal, Angel Baby." Booth winked at him as he struggled to gain his balance as he stood. "If you win, it's only because I'm drunk. Ned's my witness, right Ned?"

"Sure, Booth." Edward said as he followed the two men to the table. He was shocked to see his brother-in-law whip off his dress shirt to reveal a pink, vintage Mr. Bubbles t-shirt.


	19. Chapter 19

"The balls roll funny for everybody, kiddo."

_- The Color of Money_

Edward and Booth watched in amazement as Sweets grabbed a pool stick and started dancing around the table. Performing some fairly impressive karate-style moves and grunting, Sweets racked the balls and got ready to break.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do that? I don't think you really have the upper body strength to do it right." Booth teased him.

"I think I'll do just fine." Sweets said confidently. As he leaned over the table getting ready for his first shot, he turned his head to smirk at Booth and took his first shot looking away from the balls. He sunk four on his first stroke.

Booth watched in awe, "Am I being hustled?"

Edward stepped closer to him, "Yeah, I think you are."

They watched as Sweets cleared the table, Booth never even getting a chance to play.

"Sorry, Booth. There has to be _one _thing that I'm better at then you." He said smugly.

Booth leaned on the table, " I hate being hustled…it's just the …Hey, Edward, I suddenly have an opening for a younger, obnoxious best friend – you up for it?"

"I-I, uh…" Edward wasn't sure of what to say, "Eh…Sure?"

"Alright, I think we need more to drink!" Booth grinned at Sweets and walked toward the bar with Edward.

"Dude, that's not cool. I'm sorry I beat you at pool!" As he watched them order another round, he called out, "This is so lame! You're being sooo irrational!"


	20. Chapter 20

"My advice to you... is to start drinking, heavily..."

_- Animal House_

Sarah was flipping through channels, trying to take her mind off of the night when she heard her phone ring from across the room.

"Hello?"

"McCready!" the loud voice on the other end shouted.

Sarah pulled the phone away from her ear. "Booth?"

"Hey…how's my favorite FBI agent, huh?"

Yikes, her boss was drunk. And somewhere, very, very loud. "Where are you?" She asked him.

"Ah…excellent question. But the real question is this, McCready…Where. Are. You?"

Sarah chuckled. Oh this was so great. "I'm safe at home, and I guess you need a ride."

"Nope, not me!" he slurred. "Ned…Ned needs a ride…"

Sarah gasped a bit. "I'll be there in a minute" she said as she grabbed her keys from the tabletop.

On the way there, she could feel anger rising up in her. Edward never got drunk, and now, he was toasted with her boss?

She called her partner.

"Brennan."

"Hey, it's Sarah. Did you know Booth and Edward were at the bar? Drunk?"

Brennan sighed. "Yes, but guess who _I'm_ picking up, right now?"

"I have no idea."

"Sweets…" Brennan groaned. "Apparently he and Finn had this huge fight, so I get this drunk call from Sweets begging for someone rational to come and get him."

Sarah smiled at the idea of Sweets being stranded around illogical people, kind of like Spock from the original Star Trek, poor guy. "Oh, wow…Okay, well…I'll guess I'll talk to you soon."

~SsS~

Just as Sarah was pulling up to the bar, she saw Finn shut her car door.

"Sam!" she called, and the other woman stopped, and turned.

"Hey, Sarah…let me guess, Edward?"

Sarah shrugged. "Yes, well, Booth called for him, but…are you here for Booth?"

Finn rolled her eyes. "Yes…I swear, those boys. How did they end up here, all of them mad at us?"

"Is Edward mad at me?" Sarah asked nervously and Finn turned to go inside the bar.

"Well, I guess they're not all mad…" Finn trailed off.

When she saw Edward slouched against the bar next to her boss, Sarah felt an overwhelming desire to be anywhere but there. "Switch me!" Sarah blurted out, and Finn turned to look at her. "Please?" Sarah begged a bit.

Finn smiled. "You'd rather be with your boss than my brother?"

Sarah blushed and looked down. "Please Finn? I just…I don't know…"

Finn smiled. "Okay, I'll switch you."

As she drove, Sarah looked at her boss from the corner of her eye. "You want me to take you to your place, or…" she trailed off, biting her lip.

Booth looked at her and sighed. "Go ahead and take me to Sweetiepie's. Bones is there anyways with him, so she might as well give me a ride home." Just then Booth's phone rang and he opened it. "Booth." Sarah watched him to see if it was a case. "Oh, hey Finnster."

He chuckled. "Pick up my woman? I'm on my way…she's driving you crazy? Ah…she's taking Sweets' side, you mean." Booth smirked and pointed to his phone. "She hates that…" he whispered to Sarah. "What's that? Oh, no, I said…She makes hats." He covered. "Who? Oh, who makes hats? My aunt. Sarah and I were just talking about her."

Sarah laughed, loud enough for Finn to hear her.

Booth waggled his finger at her. "McCready, you shouldn't have laughed…" He tsked her a couple of times.. "Finn _heard_ you" he smiled as he snapped his phone shut, still a bit tipsy. "And she says you need to come pick up your man."

"Edward is _not_ my man" Sarah shook her head.

"But you want him to be." Booth teased.

"I'm going to kill Samantha Finn-Sweets!" Sarah yelled.

Booth chuckled. "Oh, no…that was all me."

Sarah glared at him. "You know. You could use a little subtlety."

Booth narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh yeah?"

Sarah winced, then looked around. "Oh, look, we're here!" Great.


	21. Chapter 21

"Where are all the good men dead, in the heart or in the head?"

_- Grosse Point Blank_

As they pulled up to Swinn's house, Sweets met Booth in the driveway. "Can we talk for a minute, before you go in?"

Sarah took the opportunity to slip past them and into the house.

"What can I do you for, Sweets?" Booth asked, leaning against Sarah's car.

Looking down at the ground, Sweets asked, "You're not really going to replace me, are you? I guess I should've told you about my skills but…"

"Don't worry, I can't replace you – even if I wanted to. And by the way, since we've been drinking, I won't tell anyone that you're acting like a little girl, ok?"

Letting out a sweet sigh of relief he nodded, "Thanks…So, about this grand gesture you want to make for Brennan?"

"It's not gonna happen – I've known from day one who she was and what she believed in. Besides, I finally have her – I don't want to chase her away."

"Dude, you tell me all the time how different she is. She asked you to live with her, she's leaving the Jeffersonian, the previous love of her life…I think she might be more open to things then you realize."

"I'll think about it, actually I think about it all the time. I just wish I knew for sure, I've already asked a woman to…" He sighed, he didn't want to finish his thought. "I just hope she's not too mad at me for leaving tonight. There was a time when she was the one who ran from tough situations, now it's me."

"Honestly, she might act mad but she's not. She's more concerned then anything. Even she said it wasn't like you to take off like that, you didn't even go in to check on Baba."

"Yeah, tonight was not my finest…Now, what about you and Finn?"

Sweets leaned against the car, next to Booth, "I don't know, we haven't talked since I got back. I feel betrayed. And I don't know how to handle that – she's my wife, I should know her inside and out."

"You haven't known her long enough for that. Look, for some strange reason she loves you _and_ she loves that little boy. Just listen to her, let her talk – don't analyze everything she says."

"I just want her to be as happy as I am."

"She'll get there, she will. Trust me, Angel Baby."

Sweets grunted in misery at his old family nickname, "Come on, let's go face the enemy."

The two walked quickly and quietly into the house, finding everyone in the kitchen. Booth looked at Brennan and he could see in her eyes that she was thankful he was ok but she wasn't willing to tell him that just yet. He went and stood next to her, bumping her shoulder, "Can we talk?"

Brennan nodded, "Can we go home? Talk on the way?"

Thankful that she was willing to take him home, he grinned, "Of course, let's get out of here – Sweets has some things he needs to take care of anyway."


	22. Chapter 22

"…you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."

_- Gone With The Wind_

Once Booth and Brennan left, Finn had roped her into taking Edward home.

The car was quiet as Sarah drove Edward through the streets. For someone who was so allegedly drunk, he seemed fine to her.

More than fine, her mind spoke up.

"Shut up!" she hissed.

"What's that?" Edward asked?

"Oh, uh, nothing" she shook her head, and it got quiet again.

That was weird. It was not right. It was not…them. They always talked. This was stupid. Sarah gritted her teeth as she wondered what to do. On one hand, normally, if Edward had too much to drink, she'd drag his sorry butt back to her place and make him stay there, then give him a ride to his car in the morning. But, now…

Then again, the kiss meant nothing, right? So if she did take him to his house, he'd know something was up. So if she had to pretend everything was the same, then she needed to act like everything was the same.

Except why was she even pretending? Everything WAS the same, right?

"Stop it" his voice was low from the passenger seat.

"What?"

"Sarah," he turned toward her. "You're over thinking it. Relax."

"I'm not…" she started to rebut him, but he just raised an eyebrow. Okay, so he knew her. Of course she was over thinking it. She always did the over thinking. It was her thing. So what if she thought a lot? That wasn't a crime.

"Sarah…" he interrupted her again, this time with a small smile on his face. "We're acting stupid."

"YES!" she agreed, thankful, "Thank you! I know…I mean, please…us?" she scoffed. "Seriously."

"Yep" he nodded and pressed his head back against the seat.

Sarah bit her lip and focused on the road as she made her way back to her house. It seemed like everything was back to normal. Although…

They made their way up to her apartment, and Sarah led him back to her spare room like usual. Edward followed her like usual, practically able to see the wheels turning in her head. So okay, he could finally admit to himself that he was crazy about her. But he had a strategy. He wasn't going to pressure her, but he also was going to make sure she knew she had a choice.

"Here you go." she was saying as she turned on the light, then walked over to the closet to get him a towel.

Edward pulled his shirt from his pants and sat down on the bed, taking off his shoes and socks, then reaching for his belt buckle.

Sarah took a couple of deep breaths as she looked over her towels. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, and there weren't a whole lot of options here in the spare room closet, but…well, she needed to know. "You know, I've been thinking."

Edward was silent for a moment and then looked up at her with a grin, "Oh yeah?"

"Yes" Sarah answered, deciding between a blue towel and a red one. "I think maybe we should kiss again. I mean, nothing serious. Just…we've kissed once, and felt nothing, and kissed tonight…" she started to turn, 'and we both felt…" oh my giddy aunt. Oh, this was so unfair.

Sarah lost her breath as she saw Edward standing by the bed, his pants lying on the mattress, his shirt unbuttoned over his boxers. Some sort of sound escaped her lips, and he looked up then and met her eyes.

Sarah swallowed. Okay, this was ridiculous. She'd seen him in less before. They'd gone swimming together. But for some reason, the sight of him unbuttoning his cuffs made her toes curl.

"Okay" he was saying.

"Okay?"

He nodded and stepped toward her, taking the towel from her hands. "Okay, it makes sense."

Sarah nodded, regaining her argument.. "I mean, its just mathematics. You flip a coin, and you get heads; you flip it again, tails. So…you have to flip one more time…just to make sure. Just so you know."

Edward moved closer. "Sounds very logical."

"It is." She stared at his throat as he moved closer to her.

Edward smiled at the way she couldn't concentrate. He should have known she wouldn't let the night go by without knowing for sure. She always had to know for sure. It was the one thing that Dr. Brennan had told him made her want to be partners with her. They both needed to know for sure. But, he knew _her_. Even so, he wasn't going to make it easy on her.

"Go ahead" he told her, and she met his eyes then.

"What?"

He smiled a bit. "Go ahead, kiss me. Find out the answer."

"You…you want me to kiss you?"

"Yes. Besides…that _was_ the original dare, and I'm pretty sure I'm the one who kissed you at the party, so…it's time to pay up on the dare."

Sarah inhaled through her nose as her fingers settled upon his shoulders. Keeping her eyes open, she stood on her tiptoes and moved closer. One hand slid up his shoulder and past his neck to cup the back of his head, and by this time, their breaths were mingled.

Swallowing hard, she leaned in that extra inch and caressed his lips with hers. Then again. Again…

Edward was careful to keep his hands at his sides, and let her kiss him, but when she pulled him closer and ran her hands under his shirt to clench his shoulders, he had to press his hands to his sides to keep from pulling her to him.

Her nails bit into his skin as her mouth pressed in for one final second, and then she stopped, pulling back quickly, wiping her mouth slightly with her thumb, her eyes confused.

"Well?" he whispered.

Sarah looked down. "Uh, I didn't feel anything." _Except everything_. "Nothing at all"

Edward nodded. "Well…now you know"

Sarah nodded, "Yes, now I know" she whispered, then turned suddenly. "I better let you get to bed. I'm sure you're exhausted" she said brightly, moving to the hallway. "See you tomorrow."

She made it all the way to her bedroom before collapsing on her bed. No…this ruined everything.

_Why_? Her mind asked her. _Why can't this be the answer_?

She groaned and pulled a pillow over her head, trying to drown herself out. How can something be the answer when she didn't even know there was a question?

God, she'd always hated math.

The next morning, Sarah woke up and made her way to the kitchen. Surprised, she saw a note on the fridge.

_"Hey, Sarah. I caught a cab. I'll talk to you later."_

He didn't sign it, but he didn't need to.


	23. Chapter 23

"You find your home, and it may not be what you thought - you know; color's off, style's wrong... but there it is anyway and to hell with you if you can't take a joke."

_- Moonlight Mile_

Once Booth and Brennan were in her car, Booth started to feel surprisingly sober. He had acted poorly and he knew it, "Bones, I'm sorry for taking off like I did."

"You went to a bar with Sweets and Edward. Why apologize?"

"We both know that it was more than that."

Brennan glanced at Booth and nodded, "I assumed as much but I don't know what _it_ really was so I'm just hoping that…"

"I'm worried." Booth said very bluntly. Like he was telling her he was hungry.

"What about?"

He sighed, "All my life, few good things have stayed good. You don't belong to me anymore." When he noticed her annoyance he continued, "What I mean is that by admitting my feelings for you I have no control over them. They don't belong to me anymore."

"I understand that."

"But, what set me off tonight is everyone knowing about us. I know they know but by openly talking about it, it's harder for me to ignore my feelings if you decide you don't feel the same at some point."

"What if you decide _you_ feel differently?"

"That's not gonna happen. I know me, I can always count on me."

"And, I know me. This was not a decision I made lightly – you should count on that."

"I know." Booth said softly, "That's why I'm sorry. I was taking the past out on you and that's not fair to you."

She smiled and reached out to lay her hand on his thigh, "I accept your apology – it's…I have felt the same way before – not now but previously…I was worried that you leaving or at least that you not talking to me was indicative of much bigger problem. A fight, a fight between us that I wasn't even fully aware of, that we wouldn't be able to get through."

"Ah, Bones. Fights, arguments, disagreements – that kind of stuff we have the tools to fix. Tools finely sharpened over years of practice…Me and you? We're fine. You should be more worried about the other couples we spent this evening with."

"Why?"

"Poor Edward – I think he just figured out like two hours ago how he feels about McCready and he has no clue what he thinks about how he feels…and Sweets and Finn? That's…It's tough."

"I gathered as much. I stood in between them in their for 15 minutes waiting for you and Sarah to get back – I've never been around them like that…They're always so entertaining but tonight was…it was chilly."

"I think Finn just wants to make him so happy that she's willing to ignore what she wants, not that what makes him happy isn't what she wants it's just…I don't know if she was ready for the baby. I think she wanted to be ready."

"It's a little late isn't it? The baby is here – Ryan is here. She has to just power through."

Booth was suddenly reminded of the headache that had started to plague him before he left the bar, all the fun a bottle of scotch could be was gone, "She is, Bones. But while she's 'powering through' she can't hide from her husband. She has to be honest with him." He looked over at her and saw mild outrage in her eyes. "She loves Ryan, she does. She just thought, I think, that all of the new parent jitters and fears would be shared with Sweets but he's not jittery – he's great. She's the mess and she's not use to being the mess."

"So the issue between them isn't Ryan – it's the role reversal?"

Booth nodded, wondering if he had left his cell on while he was talking to Edward in the bar, "Look, I am quite certain that if cornered Finn could kill with her bare hands – she's not giving up anything without a fight and Sweets just…Let's face it, the kid doesn't know how to fight. He can play a mean game of pool but…They'll work things out – now that they both know what the problem is it shouldn't be too hard to fix it."

"I think that I could kill with only my hands if I had to." Brennan pointed out as she turned down the long driveway.

Booth slowly pushed the passenger door open and laughed, "Trust me, Bones. No one doubts that…"

Baba met them at the door. "You didn't put him in his kennel?"

"No, you said th-" Brennan was stunned to silence as she flipped on the living room light to expose a barely-there couch with its innards scattered everywhere, "I was only gone for an hour, maybe a little longer."

Baba started to slink out of the room, with couch stuffing stuck to his lip when he realized that he had been found out, "Bones, if you leave him alone he has to go in the kennel! Bad dog! Baba! Bad dog!"

"Don't yell at him – he didn't neglect to put himself in his cage." She walked over to assess the damage.

Booth grabbed the dog by his collar and marched him into the kitchen and slammed the kennel door closed, "Bad dog! You know better!" He slowly walked into the living room and was horrified that the couch was in pieces all over the house but also a little happy that Baba had focused his rage on the couch – nothing else seemed to be ruined.

"He was sleeping when I left and I didn't…He's always so good! How could I have known?"

"Bones, I'm sorry…I'll clean this up and in the morning we'll go…we'll go get a new couch." While he was mad at the dog, he was a little embarrassed as well, "Why don't you go to bed and take care of this."

"I'll help you – it's my fault, anyway."

"Look, I'm going to be up for awhile. I need to drink a massive amount of water so I'm not hung-over in the morning. Go to bed, I'll be right behind." He watched her walk back into the bedroom as he wondered if there even enough trash bags for the mess.

A few hours later, Brennan heard the distinct sound of Booth's voice coming from the kitchen, she crept out of bed and headed in the direction of his whisper. If she had any doubts about loving him, the site in her kitchen erased them all. Booth was kneeling down in front of a seated Baba, having a very serious conversation with the dog.

"Why can't you just be a good dog? Why is everything with you a battle of wills? I'm sorry that it's not just you and me anymore but this is better." Brennan was amazed as Baba tilted his head from one side to another, as if he was truly trying to understand his master, "Trust me, this is much better. We live on a farm now, all dogs want to live on a farm. And Bones is..." Booth sighed, "Well Buddy, she's the glue that holds me together...Before, when it was just you and me, I was a mess. You know more than anyone what I was like then - you were the only one I talked to. Well, you and Dr. Creepy...I know that things have constantly been changing for you, since the day I adopted you but we're home now. This is permanent and I need you to be good. I know you can be a good boy, you know you can be a good boy - let's show Bones that you're a good boy, ok?" Baba breathed out heavily, as if to say 'I'll try...'.

Brennan cleared her throat quietly and both Booth and Baba turned their immediate attention to her. He smiled coyly and said, "And here I was worried that Parker would throw the tantrums."

"In all fairness, Parker is older than Baba and he has the ability to reason, a quality that Baba will never possess - no matter how intelligent you think he is. I know Baba's a good dog. I'm not concerned with his behavior, he'll adapt. It's not a problem."

"It is, you asked me to move in. That's huge...You opened your home to me and then I bring my mutt in here who destroys your house the very first day. You didn't bargain for this." He gestured to the mess that was still visible from every vantage point.

"Baba destroyed, well not destroyed he just took his anxiety out on, _our_ house - not just my house." When she saw Booth's face light up at the words 'our house' she moved toward him and snaked her arms around his waist. "And...This is a little too sugary coming from me but...I hope that one day he'll be _our_ mutt - not just your mutt


	24. Chapter 24

"What the heck are you guys doin'? Tryin' to ruin my life and make me look like a freakin' idiot?"

_-Napoleon Dynamite_

Brennan turned as she heard Angela bustle into the office. "Bren, you are _never_ going to guess what I just heard!" Angela squealed.

Brennan chuckled, "Your exuberance indicates something secretive and relationship based."

"Hmmm…Well, you kind of sucked some of the fun out of it, Bren, but yes. It's juicy."

Angela revved up again. "So, you know Chloe, right?"

"The woman you set Edward up with?" Brennan's brow furrowed. "I don't actually know her, but I think I know what you mean, you were referring to-"

Angela held up her hand. "Okay, just let me say it. So, the other night at Cam's party, Edward thanked me for setting him up, right?" She smiled. "But when I asked him if he had a good time, and if the night ended well, he didn't answer at first. But then, he said the night DID end well…" Angela's eyebrows rose in excitement, and she looked to Brennan for a reaction.

"I-I don't understand the significance."

"That's because I haven't told you the best part! Apparently Edward cut the night off early, practically left in the middle of dinner. Can you guess why?"

Brennan shrugged. "I'm sure I have no idea."

Angela rubbed her hands together excitedly. "He left to go see Sarah. _That's_ why the night ended well - he was with her."

Brennan smiled, "That is an interesting development, and quite, as you say, 'juicy'.

"What's juicy?" Sarah asked as she entered the room.

Brennan spared a glance toward Angela, and the artist grinned. "Sarah, you minx. You never told us!"

"Told you what?"

"Edward stayed with you that night. He spent the night."

Sarah's mind immediately went to the night of Cam's party. The night she'd kissed Edward in her spare bedroom.

"H-he told you about that?" she frowned.

Angela chuckled. "Oh, yes. He thanked me for helping him set it up, and then he said the night ended well."

Sarah swallowed hard, a feeling of betrayal spreading through her whole being. Here she was, so confused about this whole thing with Edward, and he was bragging about it like a jock in the locker room?

"I-I should go." Sarah stepped back, and then turned to leave the office.

"Sarah, is everything okay?" Brennan called after her.

Sarah waved a hand. "Yeah, everything's great." She lied as she rushed out the door, moving quickly to the bathroom.

She looked in the mirror for a few moments, wondering what to do, wondering why it was all getting so confusing. Edward had always been a constant in her life, and now everything was so uneasy. And to make things worse - he seemed to be enjoying the way he was hurting her, if Angela's story was anything to go by.

Well, if Edward was going to act like that, she would just stop talking to him altogether, she decided as she splashed cool water against her flaming cheeks. And she had to admit that would be pretty easy, considering he hadn't once tried to talk to her since the night she'd kissed him.

On her way out of the museum, she passed Booth, "Hey McCready. What's wrong?"

She looked at her boss and had no desire to share her humiliation with him. She grumbled, "Nothing."

"Then why do you look like you just lost your best friend?"

"Because maybe I just did." She turned on her heel and stalked away.


	25. Chapter 25

"Up until now everything around here has been, well, pleasant. Recently certain things have become unpleasant. Now, it seems to me that the first thing we have to do is to separate out the things that are pleasant from the things that are unpleasant."

_- Pleasantville_

It had been a week since Edward had discovered that his sister wasn't living as perfect a life as he had imagined. As the two youngest in their family, they had always been close and he hated the fact that he had to find out from her drunken husband just how miserable she was.

"Hey, Sam got a minute?" He asked as he ducked his head into her office.

She looked up, slightly annoyed that her lunch, the only time she had to herself all day was being interrupted. "Sure."

"How's it going?"

"Fine, I'm good."

"Really?" He asked as he took a seat. "That's not what I heard."

"From who?"

"Lance made it pretty clear last weekend that you were unhappy. And I wonder why that was the first I had heard of it."

Finn thought for a moment before she responded, "I blame our parents."

"Why does everything always come back to the parents with people in the mental health profession?"

"In the end it always comes back to them, doesn't it?"

"Depends on what _it_ is."

"All our lives, they instilled in us this belief that we were special and that there was nothing we couldn't do if we wanted to do it."

"Jeez, Sammy I forgot what monsters they were." Edward said flatly.

Rolling her eyes, she continued, "I'm not saying they were wrong to do that but their methods didn't teach us how to fail – they're the reason that I never told you things weren't going all that well."

"I don't follow."

"I'm failing at my life. And in a family of driven, perfectionists I would rather not admit that to any of you, to anyone really."

His eyes softened as he realized that she was sincerely serious, "I don't see a failure when I look at you. I do see a person who is living a life that she never knew she wanted so it's taking her awhile to get the hang of things. Maybe you weren't entirely ready for all of this."

Deflecting, she turned the tables on him, "Why can't you accept that I wanted to get married? Since the day I told you about it you've gotten more and more distant!"

"I accept it, Samantha. I do. And I even like the guy to tell you the truth! I've only been distant because…"

Getting frustrated she asked, "Why? Please, explain to me why."

"Because getting married and having a family was never what you wanted, it was always what I wanted and to be honest I was a little jealous." He studied his hands in lieu of looking up at her.

"Really? I can tell you there's really not much to be jealous of – it's a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"That may be the case but you have someone who's there for you, not because they have to be but because they want to be. You have no idea how fortunate you are. Someone chose to look you in the eye and tell you that they wanted to spend the rest of their life with you and to raise children with you. It may be a common occurrence in the world but I think it's pretty special every time it happens. _Especially_ being someone for whom it's never happened."

Finn felt like spoiled brat, complaining about a life that others wished for, "Ah Ed, it'll happen. What about the date you had last week? Angela said you had a great time."

"What? No, I let her think that because I didn't want to tell her that it was so boring I left early to help Sarah with her boss' sick dog."

She grinned, "First of all, did you leave because you were bored or because Sarah asked you? Secondly, does Seeley know that his dog was sick?"

"I don't know what Sarah told him, I'm not saying anything. The dog just threw-up, he wasn't really sick." He stood and stretched, "What time do we need to be at the church tomorrow morning?"

"The baptism service starts at 11am, but the priest wants us there at 10:30. Are you going to leave and not answer my question about Sarah?"

"I was bored before she called but it did make it easier to leave." He admitted. "I thought you were done insinuating things about she and I?"

"I've stopped pushing, I'll never stop insinuating."

"I've got to go – there's a Great Dane with diarrhea waiting for me and I think that will be a far more pleasant experience than this….Think about what I said, you're a lucky girl whether you feel that way or not." He turned and walked out of her office.

After he left, Finn mulled her brother's words over, she had been so caught up with what was wrong in her life that she had lost sight of what was right. She wasn't alone in this and she suddenly saw that she needed to stop behaving as if she was.


	26. Chapter 26

"I'm very maternal. And Albert's practically a breast."

_- The Birdcage_

When Finn returned home that evening, she was anxious to talk to Sweets. She knew that she had so much to apologize for that she wasn't even sure where to start but she had to do it, for him, for them. She found him in the nursery and watched him from the doorway.

He had his back to the door and was slowly swaying back and forth with Ryan in his arms. Finn leaned in to hear what he was singing. She grinned when she realized that he was singing 'Beast of Burden' to their son. After he laid Ryan down, Sweets saw Finn in the doorway, "Hey, when did you get home?"

"Just now. You're singing the wrong words you know. It's _beast of burden_ not _big suburban_."

"I know, it's just the way…When I was around 9 our parents took Gwen and I to see the Stones and that's the way I heard then so it's the way I still sing it."

She blushed slightly, "That's…it's adorable...Is he asleep?"

Sweets nodded, "Yeah, Lauren said he barely slept at all today."

Finn peeked at the sleeping baby. Looking down at him she suddenly thought that maybe he wasn't so scary after all. She looked over at her husband, "Can we talk?"

"Absolutely." He guided her across the hall into their bedroom. They sat down facing each other.

"Lance, I need you to know that I'm sorry for the way I've been…it's not fair to you, you have been wonderful and I have neglected that. I have been so tangled up in the way I thought things were supposed to be that I've ignored the way things are…" She paused, wiping a tear of her cheek, "And things here are pretty…they're pretty great."

"How did you think things were supposed to be?"

"Just different, you know…I thought that…I never could have imagined that I wouldn't be the nurturing one in any relationship. I have always been the one to take care of everyone in my life but you came along and…" Finn's tears started to fall quicker and she gasped for air. "You don't need me any more and that just…You're so content and…Look at me, I have this great job and husband and friends and family and I want so badly to be…"

"You can't be that, Sam."

"How did you…" There were times that she forgot her knew her so well.

"You can't be everything to everyone, it's not possible. I still need you, it's because of you that I'm so content and settled – you're my family, my home…Let me pick up the slack – that's what I'm here for…At the risk of sounding too much like a psychologist, I have to remind you that this is a pattern for you."

"What's a pattern?"

"Before we started dating you panicked because you were worried about Gwen and then before we got married you were concerned about your freedom and identity and now with Ryan you can't stop beating yourself up because it's not coming naturally to you – you don't handle change well but we've always gotten through it. Together."

She smiled gently, "Funny, I never picked up on that."

"Ah, that's because you focus on everyone else. What's weighing heaviest on you, right now?"

"I hate that we hired a nanny…I guess there was part of me that always knew we would have to but now that we have I just…"

He pulled her close to him and rested his chin on her head, "I know – I thought that it would be ok but it's not."

"What do we do?" She looked up to him for an answer, any answer.

"I think we both know the logical answer – one of us needs to stay home. We'll have to cut back our workloads."

"I make more money than you." Finn pointed out.

"Yeah, but you could work from home. We could set up the office for you."

"You could work from home – you just wouldn't be able to do counseling anymore but you would be able to profile and consult on cases." Finn knew that he was the best choice - at least for now.

Sweets nodded slowly, he agreed whole-heartedly with his wife but he couldn't imagine how he would explain to the bureau that he was going to be Mr. Mom.


	27. Chapter 27

"I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."

_- The Godfather_

Sarah sat anxiously in Booth's office waiting for him to join her. He had asked to meet with her after lunch to discuss a few things, what things she was unsure of.

"Sorry McCready, my meeting with Justice took longer than I thought." He said as he breezed into the office, taking a seat behind his desk.

"It's fine, I just got here." She watched as he flipped through the stack of folders on his desk, "So, what's up?"

"Well, you know that Bones is leaving the Jeffersonian at the end of the year, right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Have you given any thought to what you would like to do at that point?"

"I, uh…I assumed that I would stay on in my current position, assisting the new team. W-Was that the wrong assumption?"

Booth's heart went out to his agent, she was so uncertain of her place in the world, "Simmer down, you can keep your job – if you want."

"If I want?"

"As you've seen over the last few weeks, things are a lot busier in this department than we expected. I need an assistant, a second in command. I can't be everywhere at once and truth be told I don't want to be."

Sarah crinkled her brows, "You don't want to be? I thought you really, really wanted this job?"

"I do. But I…Yes, I've waited my entire career with the bureau for a chance like this but I've waited my entire life for a shot at a _real_ life and I have it now and I'm not going to spread myself so thin at work that I can't enjoy it."

"Thanks for the offer but…Booth, I'm sorry but I haven't worked as hard as I have to be a glorified secretary. I'm sorry, I can't take the job." She frowned.

Booth was taken aback by her response, he had thought she'd be thrilled, "You would _not _be a 'glorified secretary' at all. You would be the supervising agent of the department. I'm stuck having to coordinate things between the agencies and us. I thought I would have more time for my agents but I don't. They need someone to bounce ideas off of, to get the 'ok' from when they're unsure. It would put you in a great position for your future and it would be a pretty substantial pay increase – none of this sounds appealing to you?"

"Well, when you put it that way…it's just this isn't the direction I saw things going." Sarah wasn't sure that she was ready to settle down with this position when there wasn't anyone in her life to settle down with. "Can I think about it?"

"Sure, I'll give you some time to think." Booth was suddenly reminded that she wasn't even 30 years old yet, "I forget that you're as young as you are sometimes. I don't know…I guess spending time with you and Ed, I forget."

"What does Edward have to do with this?" Sarah spat at him while she righted in her chair.

Booth grinned as he held his hands up in defense, "Easy there, McCready. You and Ed are close…close in age, I mean and he's very steady, you know?"

"Steady?"

"Yeah, you know, he's a hell of a guy with a good, stable job. It seems that he's ready to start his future and I thought that you would be, too."

Sarah smiled, not wanting to give away that she hadn't spoken to Edward in nearly a week, "He _is_ a good guy but we're very different people. Different strokes and all…"

He squinted at her and nodded, "Right… I just thought that maybe you were at a point in your life where you might want something more than you have, maybe you want some stability." He noticed her wince at his choice of the word 'stability', "Or is that not cool with the touring musician crowd?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I notice things - I can't help it…I'm sorry but it has to be said that you are far too young to be spending all of your time working, waiting for a guy who may or may not come back."

She leaned forward to look him in the eye but realized she couldn't when she needed to make her point so she focused on his forehead, "I work a lot because I want to and because there's always work to do, ok? And as far as things with me and GG are concerned, I am _not_ waiting for him."

"Whatever gets you through the night." He mumbled under his breath

"Is there something you want to say to me, _sir_?" She snapped.

"Just that I am an expert in denial. I'm also quite fluent in covering up insecurities and fears with work and humor. It's a lonely way to live, especially when you don't have to. When there are people in your life who want to make it better."

Hating that she was so transparent and wondering if her boss knew who exactly wanted to make it better, Sarah shook her head, "Can we talk about something else? Please?"

"Sure, are you ready for tomorrow?" Booth asked Sarah, and she nodded.

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

Booth shrugged and loosened his tie. "I don't know. It's just a big responsibility."

Sarah nodded. "True."

Booth eyed her closely. "But at least Edward will be there."

"Yes…yes." Sarah answered quietly. "Good old Edward…"

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Sarah looked at him suspiciously. "No…why would there be?"

Booth's eyes narrowed on her, trying to see beneath her calm exterior, "Being a godmother is...It's just a big responsibility."

She sighed, being constantly nudged toward what everyone else thought was right for her was getting old, "I know, Booth. I'm actually surprised that you didn't jump at the opportunity to be the godfather." She looked at him and decided it was time to turn the tables. Grinning she asked, "Is it because you're living in sin with Bren now?"

Booth shook his head and grinned at Sarah, "What? uh...no...it's not...uh..." He snapped his book shut and quickly stood up, "Meeting adjourned."


	28. Chapter 28

"I'm going to give you a little advice. There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball."

_-Caddyshack_

When Booth arrived home that night he found Brennan sprawled out on the living room floor looking desperately at her laptop. She looked up when he came in, "Do you remember what year we worked on the pirate case, I mean the case you and Hodgins thought involved pirates?"

Taking a seat on the couch above her, "Not off the top of my head, why?"

"I actually need to discuss it with you." She sat up to face him, "My editor is expecting the first draft of my next book fairly soon and I'm considering putting together a non-fiction account of some of the odder cases that you and I worked on. The treasure one is good, right?"

"What about Andy?" Booth asked, his voice cracking slightly. He had been patiently waiting for her to decide the character's fate, "You can't just leave him in limbo."

Brennan sighed, "As you know, I've been trying to finish the next book in the series but I haven't quit figured out how."

"Andy's alive though, right?"

"Is he?" She asked, tucking her legs underneath her. "I'm not completely certain that he is."

"I-I, uh…" Booth leaned forward, "Are you admitting that I'm Andy? And if so what does he not pulling through say about me?"

"You _know_ that you were the inspiration for the character as I was for Kathy but the truth of the matter is we aren't those people any more. And we haven't been for a long time. It's hard for me to envision a future for them. I'm sure eventually I'll be able to just not right now."

"Bones…" He whispered, not sure of what else he could say.

"I know that it's difficult to think of it that way but in reality it's a good thing. Those people, the ones from eight years ago, wouldn't be sitting here right now." She rested her head on his knee.

He reached down and stroked her hair, "I, for one, love it here."

"Me too." She admitted quietly.

Booth slid off of the couch, down to the floor next to her, "I know you're a little overwhelmed right now with getting the book finished but when you do, we should talk."

"About what?"

"There are things to be decided."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "I'm quite capable of having more than one thing on my mind at a time. What needs to be decided?"

"Bones, there's a lot…There's Parker and our schedules and …We can talk later, ok?"

Brennan smiled, "Ok, but I want you to remember that _I_ was the one who wanted to talk and _you_ were the one who was stalling."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Looking down at the stack of files in front of him he asked, "Is your editor going to be ok with this?"

"I read over my contract and it doesn't stipulate that I have to submit a Dr. Reichs book. I want to have a complete outline together before I approach them with the idea." She leaned back onto the new, non-Baba-destroyed sofa behind them, "Think about it, Booth. Some of the cases we worked on were more complex and bizarre than anything I could create. I will have to get approval from the FBI, the Department of Justice and the Jeffersonian but I imagine that they will be willing to cooperate – it would be great publicity for them. And I also thought it would be nice to end it with a brief summary about everyone involved in the cases, kind of a 'Where are they now?' type chapter. _Especially _since we're all moving on."

Booth smiled, Brennan being sentimental was a new experience for him, "I think it's a great idea, Bones. Need help going through the cases?"

"Are there any that stick out in your mind, from your perspective?"

Booth methodically combed over their work in his head, unfortunately the things about their partnership that were most memorable for him were not anything the general public needed to know. Then he remembered their first trip out of town, "What about the one in Washington, where the doctor _and_ the bear were eating people?"

"I had forgotten about the bear…" She reached over him and grabbed a pen and her notebook off the end table to take notes. "I forgot to ask, did you offer Sarah the job?"

"Yeah…She didn't seem that into it, though. She wants time to think about it."

"Did she offer you any explanation?"

"Not really, but you know, when I was her age I don't know if I could've been persuaded out of the field."

"It's not sensible for her to turn it down. What could she possibly gain by not accepting the position?"

Booth reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "I don't know for sure but I suspect that she's more concerned about what she could lose by accepting the position."

"GG?" Brennan shook her head in disapproval, "It pains me to see someone with her potential throw it all away to please someone else. Do you think I should talk to her, as her partner?"

"If you're going to berate her, no. But you could just simply let her know that you're available if she needs someone to talk to – don't push."

"I'm not pushy!" She folded her lips into a faint pout. "You're pushy. You use to push me all over the place, when I let you."

"That may be true but I know when to let up – you don't. When it comes to something that you have a firm belief in you are the pushiest, pusher who ever did push." He punctuated each one of his last five words by tapping her on the nose causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

When she calmed down, she leaned into him and asked, "Do you ever wonder how we got here? Together?"

He kissed her on the top of her head, "Nope. I make it a habit not to question the good things."


	29. Chapter 29

"It doesn't matter what you have faith in, just that you have faith."

_- Dogma_

"I find it fascinating that you prescribe to a theology that leads you to believe that an innocent child is born guilty." Brennan whispered to Booth as they sat in the pew, waiting for Ryan's baptism to begin.

Booth clenched his jaw but didn't take the bait, "It's getting late, I wonder what's keeping them?" He turned to look at the back of the church.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, I did." He nodded and kept his gaze focused in front of him.

"And?"

"And now isn't the time, ok?"

Brennan opened her mouth to respond but was silenced by the organ processional and she stood with the rest of congregation to watch.

During the ceremony, Edward and Sarah stood side by side at the altar, as Ryan's godparents, but couldn't have been farther apart. They hadn't spoken since the night she had kissed him and Edward wasn't sure why.

Sarah had kept her distance from him for the past week because she was certain that he had told everyone about their private moment. The night before the baptism she had stayed up, trying to find it in herself to be calm and civil with him for Ryan and Finn's sake. Unfortunately, it took until dawn to find it and she ended up waking up late for the ceremony. As she stood intently listening to the priest, she started to get the sneaking suspicion that the breakfast burrito she had grabbed at Wawa in her morning haste had been a big mistake.

"Hey…" Edward found Sarah in Swinn's kitchen after the ceremony. She had managed to not be alone with him in the same room all day.

Sarah heard Edward move to her side, and she frowned. "Hi." She replied woodenly.

Edward waited a few moments. "Are you even going to look at me?"

Sarah gritted her teeth, then turned toward him, her eyebrows raised. "What?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?" she asked. "Why don't you ask Angela? You seem to be best friends with her now."

"What are you talking about?"

Sarah rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, but Edward stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Sarah, stop." He pulled her harder. "Stop!"

She turned and poked him in the chest, backing him into the dining room where the rest of the guests had been trying to mind their own business. "No, you stop! I can't believe you. I can't believe you told Angela!" By this point, she wasn't whispering, and they were starting to draw a crowd.

"Sarah, maybe we should go outside…" Edward pleaded, but Sarah wasn't hearing any of it.

"No. No…you want to brag about your conquests, fine. I kissed you. Big deal. But you didn't see me going around telling everyone!"

"I never told anyone that!" Edward slashed his hand through the air.

"Then why did Angela say you said the night 'ended well', hmm?" she mocked.

Edward shook his head. "I was talking about the night I helped you when Baba was sick!"

"What?"

"Sarah, I was on that date, and I left it early, to be with…to help you." He finished quietly.

Sarah lost a bit of her steam and flushed, "So you weren't talking about the night after Cam's party?"

"No"

"But then…you lied" she challenged. "You lied to me. You said you had fun on your date, but you didn't. You…LIED!" She poked him in the chest.

"Oh, yeah?" he grabbed her hand. "Well, you're one to talk."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "I've never lied to you."

Edward crossed his arms in front of his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Do the words 'I didn't feel anything, nothing at all' mean anything to you?"

"Come on, you guys" Sweets spoke up weakly from the side of the now silent room.

"Why don't we go outside?"

Sarah shook her head. "Don't bother. I'm leaving"

Edward didn't watch as she walked out the door. Instead he just walked over to the trashcan and dumped his plate of food away. As he turned around, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ned, old boy." Booth sighed. "I wouldn't let any woman go to bed that angry with me. I don't care if she's a friend, lover, neighbor or cousin."

Edward nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Booth's hand tightened on his shoulder. "Oh, I _am_ right. But first…what's this about my dog being sick, hmm?"


	30. Chapter 30

"You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do."

_- Ferris Bueller_

Sarah wiped her mouth and sipped the ginger ale she'd left by the sink, wondering how someone could get so sick so fast. She heard a knock on her door, and she pushed herself up from the bathroom floor. Looking in the mirror, she groaned at the way her face almost did look green, but the knocking persisted, so she supposed she should answer it.

After stumbling toward the door, slipping slightly on the bottom of her sweatpants, she opened the door, then groaned again. "What…"

Edward swallowed, and looked her up and down. "Sarah…what's the matter?"

She opened her mouth to answer, then covered it quickly, turning and running for the bathroom, barely making it before heaving into the toilet.

"Sarah…"

"Ugh, go away" she begged, embarrassed, but too tired to do anything but lay her head along the cool tile of the floor.

Edward gingerly sat next to her, handing her the glass of soda, slightly brushing her hair off of her neck. "We need to talk" he said as he set the cup back on the sink.

Sarah groaned and shook her head. "I'm too…I can't talk to you right now."

That stung, but Edward wasn't going to give up that easily. "Well…can I stay?"

Sarah turned her head slightly and met his eyes. "Okay. You can stay. I'm not ready to talk to you, but…you can stay."

He smiled, but the pleasure was short lived as she sat up quickly and puked again. Edward winced, but also pulled her hair back. After she recovered a bit, he helped her stand up. "Come on, let me help you into bed."

Sarah leaned on him a bit, and soon she was lying down, and lying down was good.

Edward left her for a moment, then came back in with a worn paperback tucked under his arm and a cool wash cloth in his hand. He pulled the sheet over her chilled body and placed a cool cloth on the nightstand with her ginger ale. He sat down next to her and opened the book.

Sarah quickly drifted to sleep with the sound of Edward's voice in the background.

_" Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps_

_The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man. The fox condemns the trap, not himself. Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth…"_

A stream of light interrupted Edward's sleep and he sat up quickly, groaning at the ache in his neck. He blinked a couple of times, unsure of his surroundings. He heard a slight snore, and he turned to see Sarah, her body lying near the toilet. Oh…

She'd pushed him once in the middle of the night, and he'd quickly rushed her to the bathroom. They'd agreed to just rest there for a moment, but they must have fallen asleep.

He looked at her. Sarah, his best friend.

He loved her.

He loved her. She'd practically puked all night, and…he loved her.

A slight smile crossed his face as he stood up, picking up her glass to refill it.

As he padded through the living room to the kitchen, the sound of a key in the lock surprised him. He paused, and then was even more surprised when GG came through the door.

"Hey."

GG looked up. "Oh, hey, Edward." He stretched his hand out for a handshake. Edward was surprised, and then he realized G wasn't even remotely jealous. Edward felt a twinge of annoyance and pulled back from the handshake.

"What are you doing here?" G asked him.

Edward held up the glass. "Sarah's sick. Food poisoning."

G raised his eyebrows. "That sucks…" He looked around, then tossed his bag on the couch. "But, that doesn't explain why you're here."

Edward was surprised. The man seemed genuinely confused. "I was…helping her."

G shrugged. "Oh, okay.' He had a seat and turned on the TV. "Don't know why a woman almost 30 would need help, but…whatever."

Edward nearly crushed the glass in his hands, but instead walked to the sink, rinsing it out. Okay, so…he and Sarah did need to talk. And even if she never cared about him the way he cared about her, he sure as hell wasn't going to let her end up with this guy.

He walked back through the living room and picked up his jacket. "I'll see you later."

G nodded in his direction. "Sure man, and you know…thanks for taking care of my girl."

Edward gritted his teeth. "No problem. Someone has to."

"What's that supposed to mean, man?" G narrowed his eyes.

Edward opened his palms, and then turned toward the door. "Nothing, _man_…" he said as he walked out.

Sarah groaned as she woke up, feeling like she'd swallowed death. She opened her eyes and saw she was lying on her bathroom floor. Pulling herself up, she was glad to realize she was feeling better, but she looked in the mirror and winced. Yikes.

Walking out to the kitchen, she about jumped a foot when she saw GG on the couch. "Uh…hey"

He looked her way and smiled, then frowned. "What the hell happened to you?"

Sarah looked around. Was she having a dream? Where was Edward? He'd been there, right? Maybe _that _had been a dream. "Well, I was sick."

"Yeah, it looks like it."

Sarah flushed, wondering why his words seemed so unkind.

She walked to the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from her fridge. Leaning against the doorway, she looked at her boyfriend on the couch. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you were coming until next week."

He turned toward her then. "I came to see my girl. I wanted to surprise you." He stood and winked. "Now go clean up. You don't want to look like that all night, do you?"

Sarah frowned. "Are we going out?"

GG raised his eyebrows. "Well, not unless you change, but yeah, I wasn't planning on staying around here."

Sarah swallowed, then walked back to her bedroom. She should feel good. GG was here, making an effort, right? But she felt even more confused than ever.

And as she walked over to her bed to straighten the covers, she saw the book, William Blake's _The Marriage of Heaven and Hell_, lying facedown.

Edward _had_ been here. She hadn't imagined that. Which means she hadn't imagined any of it. He'd wanted to talk, and he'd stayed. He'd helped her get into bed, he's read to her from their favorite book and he'd held her hair back when she got sick.

"Sarah, are you almost ready?" G's voice called from the living room.

"Yeah, almost." She called back, placing the book carefully on the nightstand. "I'll be right there."

~SsS~

"Ed, are you going to tell me what all of that was about yesterday?" Finn asked her brother as he sat, slumped over her kitchen island.

He looked up at her and shrugged, "Just crazy Sarah stuff, you know? A misunderstanding between us…I'm sorry that we disrupted the party."

"I could care less about that, I've never seen her that upset – about anything." She had an inkling of what was going on between them but she needed to hear it from the source.

"Yeah…She had food poisoning or some kind of stomach bug, too. That didn't help matters." He looked down at his hand, picking at his cuticle, "I'm sure she'll be fine now that G is here."

Finn hopped off of the counter where she had been perched, "Stop it! No, he's not! I thought things were done or at least on hold between them?"

"So did I." He said dryly, shaking his head.

"Did she know he was coming?"

"I-I don't know. After she ran off last night, I went by to see her but she didn't mention it to me…But she was sick so…Then this morning he just showed up."

Finn slid over to sit next to him, "You were still there this morning?"

"I told you she was sick."

"Ed, what happened between you and Sarah? Honestly?"

Edward frowned, "I'm not sure, things have been…they've been tense. She has a lot on her mind."

"But what's on _your_ mind, huh? What do you think about G showing up?"

Edward thought for a moment, torn between wanting to be honest with his sister and wanting to conceal the truth, "Between you and I? I'm worried that she's so anxious to belong to someone that she's willing to overlook…I just want her to be happy, you know? And she is happy here, she loves her job and the people around her but G will never settle for this kind of life."

Finn laid her head on his shoulder and smiled, "And you love this kind of life, don't you?"

He nodded but remained quiet. Apparently he wasn't capable of hiding things from his sister. He knew just from the tone of her voice that she was wise to him.

"Face it Ed, you just want a simple life. With someone you can just simply love and…and so does Sarah – she'll figure it out soon enough."


	31. Chapter 31

"The truth is, neither one of us has the slightest idea where this relationship is going. We can't predict the future."

_- Rushmore_

"Sarah, um…" Brennan cleared her throat as she stood in the doorway.

Sarah's head shot up. "Brennan, hey." She stood. "Did we have a meeting? Sorry…I…"

Brennan held up her hands. "No, no meeting, but…um, well…" she sighed. "I've noticed that it seems you are less happy, these days, and while I for one would never judge someone based on a level of dopamine or any other such indicator, I would suggest that you talk to an experienced person, someone who knows just what to say."

Sarah furrowed her brow as she finally figured out what her partner was trying to say. "Oh, well, okay…have a seat."

Brennan reared back. "Oh, no. I'm not the expert." She chuckled. "No, no." she moved back to the door and waved. "Okay, Angela, she's all yours."

Sarah sputtered a bit, and moved to the door, but Angela was too fast, and in an instant, Sarah was trapped, and Brennan shut the door with wave and a 'you're welcome'.

Angela rubbed her hand together. "So, missy…let's start at the beginning."

Sarah stood still, unsure of exactly what was happening.

"Have a seat" Angela smiled.

"This _is_ my office" Sarah crossed her arms.

Angela shrugged. "Fine, then I'll have a seat" she grinned and sat on the desk. "Spill"

"Spill what, exactly?" Sarah kept her pose.

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Look, Sarah, I know how to play hardball. I've been playing hardball since before you were born, okay? So I already know what you need to spill, but I'm giving you the opportunity to let you tell me. Trust me" Angela smiled. "It will make you feel much better in the end."

Sarah gave herself some time to think by walking around to her desk chair. Was it possible? Was it possible that Angela was able to tell that she'd been thinking about Edward way more than she should have been? Especially since she'd been doing it while G was in town?

Angela smiled wider and turned on the desk to face her. "Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll tell you. You are confused about GG."

Sarah almost refuted, but decided to let Angela think she was right. "Wow, yeah. I can't believe I'm so transparent" she lied.

Angela shook her head. "Well, you probably are to some people, but not to me. Although…Brennan noticed, so you know…you're not as transparent as you might think."

Sarah joined in with a halfhearted chuckle. "Well, you guys caught me."

"Sarah, sweetie, listen. GG…he made an effort right?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, and he even offered to split his time between here and LA. Six months each."

"You see…I knew it would all work out. He's making a commitment to you."

Sarah smiled a bit. "Yes, you're right, it would seem as if everything is falling into place."

Angela winked at her and got off the desk, "Well, it's good. And, sweetie, I'm so glad I could help."

Sarah stood up. "Yes, thank you…thank you very much." She chuckled as she watched Angela leave. So maybe she also knew how to play hardball…she could keep things hidden. Oh yeah, she was good.

Angela walked out the door, and hurried down the hall to where Brennan was waiting for her.

"Did she buy it?" Brennan whispered.

"Oh yeah" Angela squealed. "I didn't mention Edward once, and she totally thought I had no idea."

Brennan was very pleased, and said so. "That is very satisfactory. What do we do next?"

Angela patted her on the arm and led her out of the building. "Now we just wait a bit. She'll probably call GG soon and break things off, but we have to let her think it was her idea all along."

Brennan considered this. "But what about Edward?"

Angela smiled. "Don't worry about that. I've got that covered."

As they walked up the street toward the diner, Brennan listened to Angela explain how incredibly in tune to the world she really was and how there were times when the artist wondered if maybe she was becoming psychic.

Internally Brennan was wrestling with questions about Booth she had wanted to ask Angela for weeks but once they sat down she lost her nerve. Instead she warned, "Ange, we can't let Booth know I was involved in this. I promised him I wouldn't get caught up in matchmaking."

"Doesn't the big dog realize that once you settle down you have to find your excitement when you can?"

Brennan sat back in her chair, "Booth and I have not settled down. Why would you say that?"

"You guys are living together, that's kinda settled. And don't you think the question is coming?" Angela's eyes danced with the joy that came from tweaking her best friend's last nerve.

"What question?" Brennan knew exactly what Angela was referring to but chose to dance around the question.

"The one that comes with the shiny ring and promises of forever. You can't seriously tell me that you haven't thought about it?"

Sighing, Brennan stirred her tea, "Of course I've thought about it. Booth is still a very traditional man – even after everything that's happened. But he…It hasn't come up."

"And if it did?"

"I-I don't…I don't want to talk about it, ok?"

"Ok, fine but don't come running to me when its time to pick out a dress." Angela teased.

"It's just…I told you about the new book that I'm working on, right? I look over all the cases and all the years and I-I'm…If you read our notes starting from the beginning it's astounding how different our takes on everything were and then by the time you get to that last case we did, if it wasn't for the distinct differences in our handwriting, you wouldn't be able to tell who wrote what."

Angela took notes of the slight frown her friend was wearing, "Sweetie, that's a good thing."

"I know it just…It's something tangible that I can refer to and see how…" She stopped, not wanting to reveal too much.

"You can see how much you belong to each other?" Angela asked quietly.

Brennan nodded slowly, "Yeah…"

~SsS~

The satisfied feeling Sarah had from besting Angela faded quickly as she realized she wasn't fooling herself. She'd deflected Angela from any mention of Edward, but Sarah had to admit to herself that her thoughts had been on her friend more than they should have. And in ways they shouldn't have been.

With GG here in town, and Edward in Pennsylvania, everything was supposed to be fine. But she'd found herself annoyed by GG's touching, and she had to admit she'd faked her reactions to his more intimate approaches. But what really bothered her, was that she felt like she had a huge choice to make. A choice between GG and Edward.. Which was crazy. Because, to tell the truth, neither man had really made an offer to her.

Yeah, yeah, GG was offering to be in town more, and she had to admit, she liked the idea of getting to see him play guitar more often.

But did she really want someone who was going to be gone half the year? She'd always thought she did, or at least, thought she'd be able to handle it. She liked her space, she liked her privacy, and she could handle a long distance boyfriend.

Sarah sighed to herself, walking over to the window in her office.

But who would be there when she needed someone? Did she want to be alone when she was sick? When she needed someone to talk to?

Sarah swallowed hard as she realized Edward had been there for her, as a friend, and maybe as more, but either way, she knew she wasn't being fair to him letting him keep doing that. But the idea that he would ever lie in bed reading to someone else made her ill.

And she also instinctively knew that if she were to really make things work with GG, that Edward would back out of her life. And that made her feel so very sad.

Sarah considered the opposite, and guessed it would be true. If she were to talk to GG and let him know that she was…well, whatever she was with Edward, that GG would also back away and move on.

And Sarah didn't need her brilliant anthropologist partner, nor her artsy best friend to tell her that she didn't feel as sorry about that.

Taking a deep breath, she walked back over to her desk and picked up her phone. Dialing the oh, so familiar number, she waited until the voice picked up.

"Hey, Sarah…" he answered.

Sarah swallowed hard, but nodded to herself. "We need to talk."


	32. Chapter 32

"I understand that you little guys start out with your woobies and you think they're great... and they are, they are terrific. But pretty soon, a woobie isn't enough. You're out on the street trying to score an electric blanket, or maybe a quilt. And the next thing you know, you're strung out on bedspreads Ken. That's serious."

_- Mr. Mom_

"Busy?" Sweets asked as he ducked his head in Booth's office.

Booth exhaled deeply, "No, not really. I just got an earful from Cullen."

"About?"

"Oh you know, he's a little annoyed that I spent so much time singing the praises of the squints, convincing him that they were needed and important and then I left and he was stuck worrying that things weren't going to work out but they did…and now that I'm back they're all leaving."

"How is that your fault?"

"It's not a matter of fault, I think he's just worried…But I told him that it'll work out. McCready will still be around and she's good, she knows her stuff and it's not like we won't be able to call the rest of the original squints back if something truly mind-boggling comes up. Besides, you'll still be around to help."

Sweets grimaced, "Uh, actually…"

"What? You've decided to follow your bliss as well?"

"Not exactly but…You know that Sam's been having a hard time with things. And we're both still uncomfortable with the idea of having a nanny so…"

Booth grinned, "I know what you're hinting at but I have to hear you say it."

"I'm taking some time off to stay home with Ryan. After giving it a lot of thought it makes sense. Sam makes more money than I do, I'll still be able to consult and profile on cases and besides…"

Booth nodded, "You need to do it."

"I really do." He smiled, "I can't imagine not doing it."

"Good for you, Sweetness. Good for you."

Sweets shot him a confused look, "What? No cracks about me wearing an apron and clipping coupons?"

"Nope. It's important to you, I get that. Besides, who am I to tell anyone how to live?"

"Thanks. It's hard to imagine not doing what I've worked so hard for. My work has defined me but I guess we all eventually learn that there's more to life than that, don't we?"

"If we're lucky we do." Booth watched as Sweets became completely satisfied with the decision he had made. He was proud of his pseudo-brother for learning one of life's harder lessons at such a young age.

Sweets looked over the agent's desk and saw a thick stack of tightly bound papers, "Is that Brennan's newest manuscript?"

"Yeah, how'd you know about it?"

"She mentioned it to me a few days ago. Is she letting you read it before she submits it?"

"She is, shocking isn't it? She's never let me do that before." He picked the papers up and tossed them to Sweets, "She finished the whole thing in about a week – she wants me to read it over and see if there's anything she forgot about."

"Ah, partners again, huh?" Sweets flipped through the pages and stopped at the last chapter, "Have you read this last part yet?"

Booth leaned back in his chair, "No, I'm about half way through." He watched Sweets read intently and then noticed a look of shock and awe appear on his face, "What Sweets?"

"Uh, yeah…I think you should read this last chapter." He stood and handed the manuscript back to Booth, "I think you should read this last chapter – alone."

Booth watched the doctor rush out of his office and then looked down at the open page on his desk. He read the last paragraph once and then again. He jumped up from his chair, running his hand through his hair before picking the book up again and reading the final words for a third and last time. He looked up at the ceiling and muttered, 'Oh, Bones…"


	33. Chapter 33

"Where I come from, when two people... well, sort of love each other... oh, never mind."

~ "Well? What do they do when they "sort of love each other"?"

"Well, one of them says, "Why don't we get married?"

~ "Really?"

"Yeah, and sometimes it's even the man."

_- Funny Girl_

Booth looked down once more, just to make sure he was reading things correctly.

_Dr. Temperance Brennan is currently a professor of Anthropology at Georgetown University and continues to consult the F.B.I. and the Jeffersonian Institution when her expertise is needed. Special Agent Seeley Booth is the deputy director of the F.B.I.'s Federal Liaison program, a program that he and Dr. Brennan were instrumental in creating. The now married former partners live in Virginia with their dog Baba._

Booth's eyes skipped back to the last sentence, he read it out loud to himself, "The now married former partners live in Virginia with their dog Baba." He collapsed into his chair, "Married...their dog..." He shook his head, "The woman can do nothing like a normal person."

He stood again, unsure of where he was going but knowing that he had to get out of the office.

~SsS~

Brennan sat in the lounge of the Jeffersonian looking over her final case reports. When she left the museum in a few weeks she would be closing a chapter in her life that had endured for nearly a decade. This filled her with trepidation but her anxiety over leaving her beloved 'House of Reason' had nothing on the way she felt about Booth finishing her manuscript. The last paragraph was something she hadn't planned on writing but when she completed the initial chapters she realized that it was the only way their story could end. If she were the type of woman who believed in fate, she would say they were destined for this.

She felt guilty about not telling Angela about her plans for the future with Booth but things that happened between her and Booth had always been just between them. She had no intention of breaking the cycle. As she settled back into the couch, trying to focus on her work, she heard a familiar sound.

"Bones! What the hell?" Booth had rushed into the lab, clutching the manuscript in his fist. He had planned to come and speak to her calmly and quietly about things but when he entered the lab he found himself unable to hold his tongue for another minute.

Brennan leapt from her seat and looked down over the railing. _He finished the book_, she thought. _So much for keeping things just between us. _

She rushed down the steps and met him on the forensics platform, along with Angela, Hodgins and a few other technicians.

"What Booth?" She asked with a coy smile.

"Don't 'what' me Bones. What is this about?" He shook the book in her face.

"I'm assuming you got to the end?" Brennan was enthralled by his panicked, dilated pupils and a little tickled with herself that she was able to set him so off balance. She found him nearly irresistible when he was hanging on by a thread.

"Uh, _yeah_, I got to the end – is this some kind of joke?" He stepped closer to her.

Brennan looked around self-consciously, this was not where she thought they would have this talk, "It's no joke, Booth." She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice, "Can we go into my office?"

"Bones, w-why would you write that?"

The desperation in Booth's voice caused both Angela and Hodgins to give the couple their complete and undivided attention, Hodgins leaned over and whispered, 'What's going on?"

Angela shrugged and motioned for him to be quiet.

"I ended things like that because that's how…I mean, how else does our story end, Booth?" She shook her head in confusion. She had thought this would make him happy.

Booth tilted his head and smiled, "So this is how it ends, huh? Me and you for the rest of our lives? In a farmhouse in Virginia?"

Brennan smiled and moved closer to him, resting her hands on his hips, "For better or for worse." She whispered hoarsely.

He dropped the manuscript on the exam table and took her face in his hands, "You do realize that this isn't the way _this _is supposed to happen, right?" He whispered close to her ear.

She rested her hands on top of his and sighed sweetly, "And here I always thought that the important thing was that it happened at all."

He kissed her gently on the lips, "I guess you're right, Bones. That is the important thing."

"_Now _can we go into my office?" She asked as she gestured with her eyes to all the spectators around them.

Booth nodded and grabbed her hand, practically dragging her away from the small crowd that had gathered to watch them – it had been a long time since they witnessed a good old-fashioned Booth and Brennan showdown and this would probably be the last.

"Wait!" Angela called out, "Does this mean what I think it means?" Her voice was an octave higher than Hodgins had ever heard it, almost shaking all the glass in the museum.

Booth turned on his heel and bent his torso toward her with his hands out straight, "Yes, Angela it does…An ice skating rink just opened in hell, there are pigs landing at Dulles and Temperance Brennan wants to marry me…"


	34. Chapter 34

"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition."

- _The Father of the Bride_

"Does Seeley know you did this?" Finn asked Angela. She had stopped into the Jeffersonian to meet Angela and Brennan for lunch and was given an unexpected showing of the previous week's fireworks in the lab.

"What do I look like? An amateur? I know better than to let either of them know that I spliced together security feeds so everyone could have the honor of witnessing this moment."

"Man, it's gotta be eating him up inside that she beat him to the punch. Especially on this." She glanced over at the artist who seemed to be enthralled by her own bit part in the featured programming.

"I know, can you imagine what must have been running through his mind when he read that? Leave it to my Bren to approach getting married this way."

"Have they started any plans? Neither of them has returned a single call all week."

"All she'll tell me is that it's not that big of deal and they'll figure it out on their own."

Finn rolled her eyes, "They always do." Looking at her watch she sighed, "I'm starving – where is she?"

~SsS~

"What are you doing here?" Booth asked Brennan as she quickly slipped into the interrogation viewing area was Booth observing one of his newer agents.

"I'm hiding from Angela." Brennan responded breathlessly with her back flat against the door.

"Getting you in the wedding spirit?" Booth smirked as he switched off the speakers.

"She's trying…She doesn't understand my desire to have things as quiet and no-fuss as possible."

"She's your best friend, she's only trying to do what's best for you."

"It's only been a week since we told everyone and Angela and Sam already have all these ideas about how things should be…I don't want a big wedding with everyone gawking and eavesdropping on us."

"That's what people do, Bones. People get married in front of their friends and family, it says something when you stand up in front of all of them and say 'This is who I've chosen. This is who I love.' Don't you see that?"

"Booth, I don't see how it concerns them. A marriage is…They aren't going to be there, day in and day out in our home. This is about us."

He smiled out of the corner of his mouth, "You're right…How about this, go along with Angela and Finn on all the normal wedding things but when it comes to the actually ceremony, it'll be just us, ok?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really…Have you decided where you want to have it?"

She spread her hand across his chest, smoothing his tie and lapels, "I was thinking at the house, in the barn?"

"So you want to wait until the Spring?"

"No…I was thinking that if we did it in the next month or so it wouldn't be terribly cold and we could always bring in heaters…" She eyed him hopefully.

"Ceremony in the loft? Reception on the main floor?" Booth tilted his head considering the options, "It's not church but after all these years I think God will forgive me…"

"Thanks." She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

Noticing that he had missed most of the ongoing interrogation he cleared his throat and stepped back, "You need to get back to the lab."

"There's not much for me to do there right now."

"That may be the case but I have reviews to do." He pointed to the one-way mirror, "And I can't work with you here, you're too distracting."

Brennan frowned, "We used to do all our work together."

Booth smiled and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Yeah but that was before I knew what you looked like naked…Get out of here."

~SsS~

"Hey Sarah, have you seen Bren?" Angela leaned against Brennan's doorway.

Sarah looked up from the couch where she was finishing signing a few last minute case files before Brennan officially retired. "No, I just got here. I'm not sure where she is."

"She's avoiding me and Samantha, she was so very anxious to pretty much just tell Booth that they were getting married but now she doesn't want to discuss any of the plans."

"You know Brennan, she's going to have to do it her way."

Angela took a few steps into Brennan's office and carefully looked Sarah over, "So, you really did it?"

"Yep…I am single."

Angela pushed off with one shoulder and came in to the room, scooting up onto Brennan's desk. "Was G furious?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, actually. I mean…breakups are never fun, but I think he understood."

"Understood what, exactly?" Angela wondered whether Sarah was admitting the real reason why she'd decided things with GG weren't working out.

"That we are moving in different directions. I'm excited about the new job Booth has in store for me, and I think…I think we'd both be better off if we ended things now, and didn't try to force it, and just end up more miserable."

"Are you miserable, sweetie?" Angela asked her, catching sight of a certain veterinarian walking their way.

"No, not miserable." Sarah admitted. "Although, I am almost thirty, and I don't exactly have a line of guys outside my door knocking, you know?"

Angela chuckled. "Yeah, but—"

"Uh, hello?"

Sarah whirled around and stood up quickly. "Edward?"

He paused, his hand moving to his pocket to feel for the creased magazine page again. "Sarah."


	35. Chapter 35

"I think we're getting into a weird area here."

_- Tootsie_

Edward looked at her face closely for any sign of being miserable. He'd heard her say something about it, but had only caught the part where she'd said she didn't have a line of guys knocking on her door.

"Hey." He put his hands in his pockets and rocked forward slightly.

Sarah barely saw Angela back slowly out of the office, and she sat down on the couch again. "Hi."

Edward waited for a couple more minutes before joining her.

"How was Pennsylvania?" she asked.

He smiled. "It was good. Although…" he paused, suddenly shy about telling her about his mother's incessant harping. His brow furrowed as he realized this was the first time he'd been nervous talking to her about that kind of thing.

Sarah watched as some sort of mixed reaction crossed his expression, and she felt unsure. Normally she could read Edward's face like their favorite book. Of course, thinking about that made her remember the way he'd read to her while she'd been sick in bed. Probably best to not think about that just right now.

"Sarah-"

"Edward-"

They spoke in unison, then both chuckled, Sarah's head tilting to the side.

Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out the magazine photo he'd torn out. "Listen, Sarah, there's something I think you should know. It's about…" he sighed, "It's about…"

"GG being photographed practically naked in Cancun with Stephanie?" She finished. "I already know."

Edward searched her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Sarah shrugged a bit, "Thanks, but…I'm good."

"You're okay with this?"

Sarah looked down for a moment and realized she really was okay with it. She was really, really, really okay with it. So okay with it that it was almost scary. But even scarier was the way her spine tingled at the way Edward's knee was getting closer to hers, the way he said her name caused her stomach to flutter. All of a sudden, that part wasn't totally okay.

She stood quickly and pressed her hands to her stomach. "I'm okay, really." She forced a smile and turned to walk out of the office.

Edward stood too. "Sarah?"

"Yeah?" she turned.

"I'm here…if you need to talk." He swallowed. "I mean it. About anything."

Sarah took a deep breath. Oh dear, she was in love with her best friend. "I know."

Edward pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and put his hands in his pockets again. "See you, Sarah."

Sarah smiled then and paused, turning once more before leaving the office completely, "Read the article, Ned."

~SsS~

When Brennan returned to the lab, she was turned away from her office by a mischievous Angela. "Don't go in there."

"It's my office, why?"

"Because, Sarah is in there talking to Edward. This is a crucial time for our little project – we should leave them alone."

Brennan sighted, "I suppose you're right…I'm sorry I missed lunch, I had to…"

"Avoid me and Samantha, I know. You do realize that you're not going to be able to marry Booth and keep everyone who loves you out of it, right?"

"I know…I'm just not – I don't want a fuss made."

Grinning, Angela steered Brennan toward the artist's office, "But you're getting married, you! Miss Independence herself, this needs to be celebrated."

"Fine…Nothing too over the top. We're going to do a private ceremony and a small reception – no ridiculous showers or anything else that's traditional." Brennan sat down on Angela's couch.

"Sweetie we _have_ to have a bachelorette party – it's your last chance for a free night."

"I don't see the point. Booth and I live together, we sleep together every night. I'm committed to him. I've had 36 years of free nights."

"Yes, I know but once you're an old married lady you're not going to have time for your girlfriends. You'll be too busy cooking dinner, ironing those snazzy shirts of his and polishing belt buckles."

They both laughed at the idea of Brennan as a happy homemaker but Angela noticed that her friend stopped laughing first, "Ah! Brennan, you dog. You _like_ that idea!"

Brennan shifted in her seat, internally squirming, "I have to admit that the idea isn't entirely unpleasing to me. I like taking care of him, sharing a home with him – it feels right."

Angela leaned over and knocked her knee against Brennan's, "Come on, Bren. It'll be fun."

"Fine, we'll go out. One more free night. But no exotic dancers – it's tacky."

Angela put her arm around her and said, "Leave it all to me."

Brennan groaned, "Seriously Ange, nothing too crazy."

"I promise, nothing too nuts – just fun. Besides, it'll be the perfect time to get Sarah drunk and work on stages two and three of 'Operation McFinn'. Nothing makes a girl more willing to take a chance then watching a friend get hitched.


	36. Chapter 36

"At the house of some friends, she met a man about whom she'd heard her whole life. A very great and courageous man. He opened up for her a whole beautiful world full of knowledge and thoughts and ideals. Everything she knew or ever became was because of him. And she looked up to him and worshiped him... with a feeling she supposed was love."

_- Casablanca_

"Hey Bones, I know I told you to go along with Angela and Finn when it came to all the wedding hoopla but…"

Brennan saw Booth standing behind her in the reflection of the full-length mirror she was critiquing her appearance in, "It is a little much isn't it?"

Booth nodded and eyed her out of one open eye, "A little much? It's _much_ too much."

She turned around and grinned, "I really thought you had gotten past the whole prude thing."

"Not wanting the woman I'm marrying in a week to go club hopping in a corset and fishnet stockings does not make me a prude – it makes me normal."

"It's not like I picked this out myself – Angela did. And I'm not the only one dressing like this, they all are."

"So, this is like a peer pressure thing?" He huffed as he followed her into the living room. "If all your friends decided to jump off of the Washington Monument, would you?"

"Now you're being melodramatic and it doesn't suit you." She pulled her coat on. "I'm meeting everyone at Sweets' house then we're going. What are you doing tonight?"

He leaned up against the front door, blocking her exit, "Uh, nothing…Sweets mentioned something about getting a drink later but…" He fixed his darkened eyes on her, "You look incredibly…Are you sure you have to go, now?"

"Yes, I have to go. Isn't the whole point of this ritual for me to go out and enjoy a last night of fun before the rest of my life?"

He shrugged.

"And aren't I spending the rest of my life with you?" She raised her brow.

Booth nodded and slid away from the door, opening it for her, "Since you put it that way…Go."

~SsS~

"I thought the point of this evening was for you to go nuts – not Angela." Sarah asked Brennan over the pounding bass of the nightclub as she watched Angela getting very frisky on the dance floor.

Brennan smiled, "Angela has never needed an excuse to go nuts but special occasions do bring out her carefree side."

Finn joined the ladies at their table, "I haven't been in a bathroom that dirty since Tracks – do you remember that place, Sarah?"

Sarah grimaced, "Oh god, that place was disgusting. We were better off taking our chances in the parking lot after last call."

"Remember that time we got busted for it?" Finn started to giggle, "And we had to call –"

"Ed, we had to call Ed to come and get us." Sarah could still see the look of amusement masked under Edward's fake disapproving glare.

Finn poked Sarah, "Yeah but he only had enough money on him for one of our fines so he took you home and left me there!"

"That's only because I was applying to Quantico and he didn't want anything to show up on my record – you already had a few violations."

Brennan's ears perked up when Sarah started talking about Edward, she only wished that Angela was around to spur on the conversation.

"To this day, I still don't think that had anything to with it. My little brother was a goner the day he met you and _you _know it."

Ignoring Finn, Sarah turned her attention back to Brennan, "So, I've never asked but I think that it's finally time for me to know – why did it take you guys eight years to figure things out?"

"Uh, we…We were partners and then we were friends and then he left and…"

"But, even as partners and friends, you had to know that there was something between you guys. You didn't just wake up one morning in love with him, did you?"

"No, it was a gradual process, and a necessary one but…"

Finn leaned into the conversation, "But what?"

Brennan took a swig of her champagne, "I can tell you that time was wasted. We let, or I let, fears and beliefs in what should be get in the way of what could be. I was afraid of Booth because of what he symbolized for me."

"And what was that?"

"A life outside my own head. Things I couldn't rationalize…He didn't fit in any preordained space in my life and that made me nervous."

Brennan's answer made Sarah nervous and she wasn't sure why. She then asked, "Are you nervous?"

Brennan shook her head, "No, not really…I think the things that most women worry about before they get married, loss of identity, fear of things left undone aren't really factors for me. I'm confident in our relationship."

Finn rolled her eyes, "You are not drunk enough." She raised her hand and ordered another round of shots. "Excuse me, I need to go take another four minutes off of my life."

Brennan watched Finn slink out of the club and decided to join her, "I'll be right back." She caught up with Finn just outside the side exit, "Can I ask you a question?"

"I know they're bad for me and I know all the horrific things they do to my body but it is my body, ok?"

Brennan crossed her arms in defense of the chilly night, "No, I assume that someone who went to medical school knows all of that…I have a question about Booth."

"Do you really think I know something about him that you don't?"

"No, I do think you know him differently than I do. I know that he talks to you about…actually I don't know what he talks to you about but…" She sighed, "Has he shared any uncertainties with you – about getting married?"

"Not at all, why would you ask that?"

"He loves me, I believe that, I do…but I worry that I pushed, I made assumptions that he was ready for the next step and…"

Finn looked at her curiously, "What did he say?"

"He hasn't said anything to…I'm just…" Brennan looked down at the ground.

"You _are_ nervous and that's ok. It really is, Temperance – no one expects you to be so very certain of everything all the time."

"I'm not accustomed to entering into situations that I'm not certain about except with Booth…"

Finn smiled as she watched Brennan's feelings catch up with her thoughts, "It's been my understanding that you've often jumped into things without thinking with Seeley and haven't they always worked out?"

Brennan nodded, "They have…I get it now."

"Get what?"

"Why Booth finds it so easy to talk with you."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're probably the closest he'll ever get to having a conversation with himself."

Finn stomped out her cigarette, "Is that a good thing?"

"It's a very good thing." As Brennan reached for the door, it swung open and nearly hit her in the face.

"Where have you been?" Angela asked on the other side of the door, "We need to drink and then when we need to dance and then maybe drink a little more."


	37. Chapter 37

"You've always been crazy, this is just the first chance you've had to express yourself."

_- Thelma and Louise_

The women laughed as they crawled back into the limo. Angela squawked as her top about fell off as she fell on the floor.

Sarah laughed and tried to help her, but only made it worse, and by that time, they were both laughing so hard they couldn't do anything but lie there.

"I want Edward." Sarah admitted on a sigh as she rolled from side to side, the sparkling stars shining through the sunroof of the limo. "I _want_ him…" she practically growled, then started laughing again.

Finn clapped her hands like a giddy schoolgirl and squealed. "I knew it! I knew it, I knew it!" she started singing off key. "Auntie Sarah…I knew it."

"Angela!" Brennan gasped, sitting up suddenly, then groaning and lying back down.

Grasping her head, she sat up more gingerly. "I have an idea. Let's take Sarah to Edward's house." She whispered.

Angela narrowed her eyes and thought about it. "Ooh…that is better than stage three, four OR five…that's like stage…I don't know!"

"Like stage…infinity!" Brennan bragged.

After a few more minutes of trying to count the pretty stars above her, Sarah felt the limo pull to a stop. She let Angela drag her up to her door, and she tried unsuccessfully to put her key in the lock.

"Hmmm…." She stared at it for a few moments, wondering why her door had been painted brown while she was gone. And why didn't her key work.

She turned back to the limo to tell them maybe she had the wrong key when Angela stood from inside the car, her arm and upper body through the sunroof.

"Knocky, knocky!" Angela called, and Sarah frowned as the limo drove away.

"Sarah?" a deep sleepy voice rang out from behind her, and she turned quickly, but lost her balance and fell on the grass.

Two strong hands grasped her bare shoulders and pulled.

Sarah squinted with one eye to see and groaned. "Hey, baby…looking _good_"

Edward chuckled and raised his eyebrows. "Yikes. Whattya been drinking Sarah?"

Sarah shook her head. "No…no, I'm not drunk. I'm NOT, Ned" she slurred, and realized his hands were still on her shoulders. Smiling, and biting her lip in what she hoped was a sexy way, she reached between them to run her hands up his chest to run her hands through the back of his hair. "Hi Ned. When did you get here?"

He laughed then, and pulled her closer, surprising her when he picked her up and carried her inside.

Sarah felt his hands slide her silly shoes off her silly feet and then his silly hands were in her silly hair. "You're silly, Ned" she smiled, and tried to pull him closer as he laid her on the bed.

He backed away from her then, and looked at her.

Sarah grew confused at the look on his face. It was so serious, and dark and…it was getting darker, as her eyes closed again…ooh, sleeping was a good idea…and then…

~SsS~

Booth was sitting on the couch, waiting for Brennan to call when there was a knock at the front door. As he stood to open it, he heard a key in the door, "Bones, hold on! How did you get-"

"Booth my boy!" Max greeted him as he walked into the house.

"Max…I-I didn't…was Bones expecting you?"

"My only daughter is getting married next week – I thought it'd be nice if I showed up for it."

"Of course, of course. She just didn't mention that you were coming so soon."

"Well, you know she likes to keep things to herself. How are you holding up?"

"I'm good…Look Max, like I said on the phone, I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you before…but I didn't know…"

"I know that if you had your way it would've gone differently."

"Maybe, truth is I never thought she'd want to marry anyone."

"She doesn't want to marry anyone – she wants to marry you."


	38. Chapter 38

"I love you. And not, not in a friendly way, although I think we're great friends. And not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although I'm sure that's what you'll call it. I love you. Very, very simple, very truly. You are the-the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. And I know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line is-is-is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. But I had to say it. I just, I can't take this anymore. I can't stand next to you without wanting to hold you."

_- Chasing Amy_

Sarah woke up and rubbed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, wondering when she'd eaten something dead. Ugh…

She heard a low chuckle beside her, and her eyes flew open. "Aah!" But…oh, that hurt…why was the room spinning? Why were her sheets blue? Why was Edward…? Edward!

Her eyes flew open again, and she sat up, wincing and moaning. "Oh…oh no…"

He laughed again, and held her up. "Hey, baby…looking good" he mocked, repeating her words from the night before.

"Please tell me I am not in your bed."

When he didn't answer, she ventured to open one eye. He shrugged as he leaned over to grab her some aspirin and coffee. "You told me not to tell you."

She accepted the drugs of choice and rested her head on the pillow. "Sorry"

"Nah, it's fine. Nice outfit, by the way"

Sarah remembered what she was wearing, and she opened her eyes to laugh, but paused when she saw the look of actual interest in Edward's eyes as he looked at her barely covered body in his bed. He met her eyes, and they both flushed a bit.

Swallowing, Edward went over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, then tossed them to her. "Here…you can grab a shower, if you want. There are towels in the closet."

"Thanks" she mumbled as she rolled to the bathroom. One glance in the mirror caused her to wince. "No more yaeger bombs…no…" she stumbled into the shower, scrubbing her face almost raw, and washing her hair, momentarily pausing at the scent.

Sarah felt vulnerable as the scent of warmth and Edward's shampoo and sporty body wash covered the area. She ran one finger through the steam on the glass door of the shower, letting drops of water track beside it. She thought about how Brennan, Finn, and Angela had told her stories on how they'd taken the initiative to get their men, and she wondered if she could do it.

Turning off the water, she dried off quickly, then pulled on the sweats and t-shirt he'd given her. Leaving her hair down to dry naturally, she turned to leave the bathroom and caught one last glimpse of herself.

She looked…kind of frumpy, actually. Edward's clothes were too big for her, and her hair was wet and her face scrubbed clean of any color except her freckles.

Well…maybe this wouldn't be the best time to take the initiative. She should wait until she looked a little better, Sarah decided.

Edward heard the water turn off and went to the kitchen to pour her another cup of coffee, and one for himself. He could hardly believe this turn of events, and never in a million years would he have imagined that Sarah would show up on his doorstep in a corset and fishnet stockings. He'd always known she was gorgeous, but…holy cow, a man could only take so much, you know?

He heard the shuffle of her feet, and turned around…and damn it…she was even sexier with wet hair and his old lucky Phillies t-shirt.

They stared at each other for a couple of moments, and Edward was pleased by the slight blush that covered her cheeks.

"Is that for me?" She nodded toward the mug in his hand.

"Yes…" he held it out until she walked over to get it.

She accepted it gratefully and he leaned back against the counter, still looking at her. Sarah leaned next to him, and kept her head down a bit, letting her damp hair form a curtain between them.

"So last night was Brennan's bachelorette party, huh?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah…Angela was the one in charge."

Edward laughed then, and Sarah met his eyes and smiled. Feeling embarrassed by her appearance, she looked away quickly, and set down her mug. "Look, Edward, if I said anything last night that was…you know…not cool…I'm…sorry."

In an instant, Edward placed his mug beside hers and crowded her body against the counter. Sarah looked up quickly to see that Edward was looking at her with the same heat as this morning, and she gasped at the intensity.

"Do you want me?" He was not a game player.

Sarah swallowed convulsively and tried to keep the heat from climbing up her neck. "I…I've thought about it." She admitted.

Edward's hands moved from the counter to her hips. "I want you" he said simply, but her reaction could never be described as simple.

"You do?" she asked, a pleased smile sneaking across her face without her permission.

Edward smiled too, and all of a sudden, they were back to _them_.

"I do."

Sarah started laughing and slid her hands to his shoulders. "Are you going to kiss me, then?"

Edward chuckled, his face moving closer to hers. "I just might."

Sarah's eyes grew droopy with anticipation. "It is your turn, after all" she murmured, and Edward smiled against her cheek.

"Is that so?"

"Yes…" she nodded. "What are you waiting for?" she teased.

His hand slid from her hip, up her back, to cup the back of her head. "Maybe for you to stop talking so much…"

His lips hovered over hers, and Sarah opened her eyes and smiled. "Don't wait for that. You know that's never—oof!"

Edward cut off her next words with his kiss, and Sarah closed her eyes again. Who knew a kiss could feel like freedom and home at the same time?

Her bare body shivered under his clothes, and she slid her hands to his waist to run them under his t-shirt.

Edward groaned a bit, and backed away, his lips the last part of him still touching her. "No, not yet." He pulled away completely and ran his hand through his rumpled hair.

"Why not?" she shrugged matter of factly. "You want me. I want you." She smiled.

Edward looked to the ceiling for a moment, as if facing some internal battle, "Because" he sighed, then looked at her again, moving closer and cupping her face in his palm, "you," his kissed her forehead, "Sarah McCready," his lips moved down to her eyelids, "deserve…" he let his hand slide to her neck as he kissed both of her cheeks, then right by her lips, "to be pursued."

It took Sarah a moment to realize that he'd stepped back from her once again. Her eyes opened, and she saw a hint of vulnerability in his eyes she was sure matched her own. Edward wanted to…pursue her?

Her stomach clenched at the idea. "Okay."

Edward nodded. "Okay…"

"So…where does that leave us now?"

"Well…" Edward rubbed the back of his neck with his palm. "I guess I can take you home on my way to work."

Sarah nodded, then blushed. "Actually…my car is at your sister's house."

Edward groaned but nodded. "Okay…I'll take you there. Are you ready?"

"I guess." She chuckled.

The ride was quiet, but nice, and Sarah kept sneaking glances at Edward, wondering why she kept wanting to laugh. But the good kind of laughing, like summer rain and cheesecake and very, very good friends kind of laughing.

And she realized that Edward was very, very good for her.

"What?" Edward was looking at her, and smiling shyly.

"Nothing" Sarah chuckled, and looked out the window. "This is nice."

"Yeah…" he agreed. "It is nice."

When they pulled up behind her parked car, Sarah saw three faces peering out of the curtains. She laughed and blushed and pointed them out to Edward. He looked and waved, and all three women backed up quickly from the window.

"Pity…we probably could have given them a good show" Edward joked, and Sarah laughed.

She looked over to him and quickly leaned over to kiss him. "I'll talk to you later."

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah"

Sarah smiled as she hurried to the front door, then turned and waved shyly to Edward as he pulled away.

She heard the door open from behind her, and the next thing she knew, she was being yanked inside.

"Hey!" she protested a bit.

"No way, Sweetie." Angela put her hands on her hips. "We want details!"

Sarah blushed and tried to hide her smile in the cup of coffee that Finn offered her, "Details of what? _You_ dropped me off at his place, half naked and drunk."

Finn suddenly found herself elected as the group's spokesperson, "Yes we did – for your own good. But I know my brother and I know that not a damn thing happened last night."

"Then what details do you want?"

Finn tilted her head and grinned, "I said that nothing happened last night – we want to know what happened this _morning_."

"Come on, Sarah…" Angela whined, "Let us live through you. None of us will ever again have that falling, swirling feeling that only comes from your first moment with someone." Angela stepped back and glanced at Brennan, fearing that her last statement was something Brennan hadn't thought about before.

"Well, last night I passed out and then this morning after I got a shower but…" She trailed off as her last words registered with the other women and the all started making kissy noises.

"And then?" Angela asked.

Sarah dramatically threw her head down to rest on the table, "And then…then nothing. He said that…that things should progress slowly because…well, he thinks that I deserve to be pursued, ok?"

When no one responded Sarah looked up, "What? That's lame right? It means that he doesn't really want me – he was just be a gentleman, right?"

The three women shook their head in tandem and said "No" in unison.

"Then what's with the silence?"

Angela leaned across the table and patted Sarah's hand, "It's just…. Sweetie it's not everyday that a girl finds her very own Seeley Booth."

"I have my own Seeley Booth?" Sarah asked quietly.

They all nodded enthusiastically.

Sarah thought this over for a moment and nodded, "I have my own Seeley Booth."


	39. Chapter 39

"In this big game that we play, life, it's not what you hope for, it's not what you deserve, it's what you take."

_- Magnolia_

The following week was a rush of activities for Booth and Brennan. In the midst of cleaning out her office and getting the house ready for the wedding, neither of them had a free moment for the other. The Thursday evening before the ceremony, Booth came home to find Brennan sitting in the loft, her legs hanging out of the window.

"What are you doing up here?"

She turned to see him climbing the steps up to her, "I brought the last box home from the Jeffersonian today and I was just sitting up here thinking…"

He took a seat next to her, "Worried you made the wrong choice?"

"No, I was actually thinking about Sweets."

Booth tilted his head back and forth, "Marrying me, thinking about him. That seems about right."

"I was just thinking about how wrong he was."

"About?"

"He once told us that we had learned to adapt to each other…I can't remember the psychological terms that he used but he pretty much said that we had to learn to work together, that we altered who we were for the greater good. But he was wrong."

"I don't understand."

"Think about it Booth. You and I are not the type of people to change ourselves for anyone regardless of the outcome. We didn't have to adapt to each other, we just found another person who accepted who we were."

Booth nodded, "Sounds about right. This wouldn't have anything to do with you writing your vows would it?"

"No, I told you that I want to use the old ones."

"The traditional ones you mean – not the old ones. You make them sound used."

"How has Sarah seemed this week?"

"Fine, why?"

Brennan smiled to herself, not wanting Booth to know that she knew too much about Sarah and Edward's eventful weekend. "No reason, it just seems weird not talking to her, that's all."

"That's all?"

She nodded, still not giving anything away.

"You're not curious about what happened after you meddling women dropped her off, drunk at Finn's brother's place?"

"Wh-who…Who told you?"

"I have my sources. You forget that Sweets likes to gossip as much as Angela does."

"I guess I did…It wasn't my idea."

"I bet. Leave it be Bones. You more than anyone should know what it feels like to be pushed into something you're not ready for. You'd never let anyone do it to you – why do you think its ok for you to do it to her?"

She dropped her eyes to her hands and studied them, "Because I want her to be happy and I-I know that if I had allowed myself to be pushed sooner we would have…" She looked up at him with misty eyes, "No one should have to wait to be happy especially if there's no good reason for it."

~SsS~

It turned out that Sarah and Edward had both been too busy to even talk much the rest of the week, but Sarah was actually okay with it. There was something so…easy about this whole thing that just confirmed how right it was.

As she got to her office on Friday morning, her boss was standing there with a large bouquet of roses. "Those are pretty. Do you have a secret admirer?" she asked him.

Booth followed her inside and set them on her desk. "No…these are for you."

"For me?" Sarah was surprised and pulled out the card. She remembered Booth was still standing there, and she looked up. "Oh, sorry, was there something else you needed?"

"Uh yeah…I need to know who those are from." His eyebrows rose and he flashed a charm smile. "So…spill"

Sarah laughed. "You sound like Angela."

Booth's eyes narrowed. "Angela knows about this? Hmmm…I wonder if Bones…"

Sarah watched as Booth seemed to be thinking about something. "Uh…Booth?"

Booth blinked a couple of times and then nodded. "Come on, McCready…let's see who they're from, huh?"

She opened the card and scanned to the bottom. "They are from Edward."

"Ah, Ned. Good boy." Booth smiled. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me what the card says"

Sarah laughed. "No…I am not."

"Fair enough…" Booth opened his palms and turned to walk out of his old office, turning at the last minute with his arms wide and his smile wider. "I really loved this office, McCready…a lot…"

"I know" she smiled.

"See you in twenty" He reminded her of their meeting.

Sarah bit her lip as she sat behind her desk and opened the card again.

"Dear Sarah ~

I always imagined I'd become best friends with the person I wanted to be with. It took me awhile to realize that the person I wanted to be with already was my best friend.

I'm glad it's you, Sarah.

~Edward"

Sarah felt a happiness move over her, and she read and reread the card again until another agent knocked on her door.

"McCready…meeting…"

Sarah got up quickly and tucked the card into her pocket, a big smile on her face.

"What are you so happy about?" The other agent asked her.

Sarah laughed. "Oh nothing…just being pursued…that's all."


	40. Chapter 40

"I wouldn't be in your shoes if the Sweet Lord Jesus come down and asked me himself."

_- Driving Miss Daisy_

"I can't believe you're still writing that speech, how hard can it be?"

Sweets looked up from his desk to see Finn standing in front of him, "Why don't you try to encompass something this major and see how you do."

"They're your friends, you're happy for them – what else needs to be said?"

"A lot. I want to succinctly wrap up who they are and what they mean to each other and be funny – I have to be funny."

"Why start now?" She joked and rounded the desk to sit in his lap.

"It's just that he hasn't let me do anything, no bachelor's party, no best man…"

"Lance, I think you've already played the most important in this part you could.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look, I know that you and Seeley have practically made an Olympic sport over blaming yourselves for the past but I think its time that you acknowledge that if it wasn't for you and the patience you had with him he never would have come home."

He opened his mouth to rebut but she closed it with a pinch.

"And I know that you would say that he never would have left if it weren't for you but you don't know that. From my understanding, it's not like he and Temperance were exactly headed for happily ever after before he met Gwen, were they?"

"No, I guess not."

"Two people like them, were always going to need something huge to happen before they opened their eyes."

Sweets nodded in agreement, "They are far and away my all-time favorite patients and test subjects. Layered and complicated and so…It really doesn't surprise me that they've decided to get married without an audience."

"It doesn't? It shocked the hell out of me."

"Everything between them was always just between them. To this day there are things that were discussed in my office that I'm still trying to piece together. I always thought they hid things from me because they were hiding from each other but…they weren't hiding anything, there were things they never talked about because…"

"They didn't need to talk about them, they had an understanding?"

"A silent deal that I highly doubt was ever discussed."

Finn hopped up from his lap, "Yeah, the more I think about it the happier I am that you got stuck writing the toast. You're screwed, bud."


	41. Chapter 41

"You met me at a very strange time in my life."

- Fight Club

It seemed that everyone is Brennan's life wanted to stay with her on her last night as a single woman but she elected to spend the time alone. After everyone left the rehearsal dinner she roamed through the large, empty house trying to invoke the memories of her past, wanting to revel in her last night alone but she couldn't.

She may have been the only person home but she was far from alone – in fact, she realized that she hadn't truly been alone for quite some time. And that was a gift that Booth had given her. There was a part of her, deep within the quiet places of her mind that always feared she'd never be able to repay him but now she realized the scales were balancing. Just as he had handed a scared and awkward Brennan a new life and a new family so long ago, she was now offering him a home and a future. He had once been her guide through the rough waters of her past but she was now his shelter from the storm and it was a role she felt fated to play.

She made one more lap around the house before settling into bed. Whistling once for Baba, he came bounding into the room and joined her, laying down in Booth's spot. Sighing contently to herself, she whispered to the dog, "If you knew me a few years ago, you wouldn't believe that this is where I ended up."

Baba rolled onto his side and rested his chin on her shoulder. Just a gentle reminder of the man who had brought them together.

~SsS~

"You have everything you need?" Sweets popped his head into the guest room, where Booth was getting ready for bed.

"Ah, yeah…I'm good."

"Did you ever think that you would be sitting here, the night before your wedding to _Brennan_, in my guest room?"

Booth shook his head with a grin, "No Angel Baby, I didn't…but I can say that…You need to know how grateful I am."

Sweets leaned over the dresser, studying the wood grain, "You never have to tell me that, I know and I'm just as grateful…You were the first agent I ever had in therapy that I was afraid of…"

"Really? I don't remember being that scary – I was never allowed to bring my gun in to your office."

"Yeah, but you have this stare that is…Well, quite frankly it's bone chilling and whenever I got to close to uncovering something about you or Brennan, you always turned it on."

Booth rubbed his chin, trying to remember those first sessions, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't sweat it, you were protective of her. Understandable. You always knew better than most what she was capable of handling and what she wasn't ready for."

"Bones is…She is truly amazing – you see that don't you?"

Sweets nodded but remained silent.

"I'll never really know what I did to deserve her…"

"Maybe you should ask yourself what she did to deserve you – I guarantee you that she feels just as lucky as you do."

"Bones doesn't believe in luck."

"Right, she believes in you…"

Booth thought for a moment and smiled, "Ok, that's enough girl talk, Sweet-tart. I should get some sleep."

Sweets stood up straight and yawned, "Just so you know, I'm proud of you Booth."

"Thanks…It's always an honor to have a 12 year old express their pride for me – I can't get enough of it."


	42. Chapter 42

"I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be."

_- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_

Sweets stood on a chair in the barn, trying to get everyone's attention. He looked down at the speech he had worked on for the past few weeks and decided that his carefully constructed words didn't really do this moment justice. He stuffed the cards in his jacket.

The barn was lit with soft twinkle lights and there was a feeling that everything was in its place – exactly where it was meant to be. Booth and Brennan had exchanged vows in the loft, alone with just a judge, far away from the rest of the world. It suited who they were and what they had become.

As they came down the stairs, together hand in hand, they were greeted by their friends and family with a standing ovation. To almost everyone's surprise, it was Brennan who showed the most emotion, Booth stood stoically, almost shell-shocked.

Later, he would admit that he hadn't been able to truly comprehend what had transpired between them in the loft – that night or any other night before then. He was a lucky man and he knew it, he had finally received the life he had always wanted with the woman he had always denied needing. All he could do was stand back and take it all in.

Once Sweets finally got the crowd's attention, he winked at his wife and cleared his throat, "The night I got married, I found myself conflicted as to why my wife would choose me. I shared this with Booth, telling him that she was too beautiful and too smart, too everything for me and he looked at me and offered an explanation unlike any I had heard before. He told me that the curve of a woman's back was like a question and that _I_ was the answer to my wife's question. These two," Sweets turned to Booth and Brennan, who were seated just behind him at the head table, "These two started off yelling their answers at each other before they ever stopped to listen for the question but…they're listening now…Temperance and Seeley have traveled a long road to get here. A road full of twists and turns, littered with road blocks, some they put up themselves and others they could have never anticipated…I feel honored to have been allowed to witness this journey, eight years in the making."

As everyone raised their glasses to toast the couple, Booth stepped up onto his chair and looked around, "I-I just wanted to thank all of you for coming tonight and for the support and kindness that you have offered through everything…Sweets is right, and if you know me, you know how much I hate to admit that but he is right about she and I, we have walked a long road to get here and it makes this moment all the more perfect." He glanced over at Brennan and felt his stoic wall start to crumble, turning back to the crowd he said quietly, "Thank you."

When he returned to his seat, Brennan leaned over and asked, "Am I supposed to say something too?"

"Only if you want to, it's not traditional but…" As he finished his sentence, she was already stepping onto her chair.

As Brennan stood before the crowd, she realized that she didn't know what to say. She looked down at Booth, who had the most curious expression on his face, and she grinned, "Um…I'm not really one to expose my emotions in public but I have to say that I am extremely thankful for everyone here today…This is not how I thought my life was going to go but now that I'm here, I can't imagine being anywhere else. I never believed in love or destiny, they were never tangible things…at least until I met Seeley Booth…" She suddenly found herself being pulled to the ground by Booth.

"I think that's good, Bones." He whispered in her ear.

"What? I can't tell everyone how much I love you?" She offered him a crooked smile.

"That's kind of the whole point of today." He covered her grin with a kiss, much to the delight of the crowd.

Glasses were clinked and Hodgins started a chant of 'Kiss, Kiss, Kiss'

"Uh, yeah – I think you've all seen enough." Booth announced to the crowd.

Brennan shyly collapsed into his shoulder. Booth bent down, brushing his lips across her ear. She pulled back and gazed at him, "I really do love this barn…"

Booth looked up at the rafters and then back down at his wife, "This is my home…I never thought I'd find it…Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not giving up on me, for letting me in, for guiding me to where I belong and more than anything for loving me…"

She grinned at him, Seeley Booth her husband, "Like I ever had a choice."


	43. Chapter 43

"I have learnt how to live... How to be In the world and Of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And I will never, never again run away from life. Or from love, either... "

_- Sabrina (1954)_

"It makes you think, doesn't it?" Edward asked Sarah as he led her to the dance floor.

"What?"

He cocked his head to the side and smiled, "Seeing two people who have meant so much to each other for so long finally getting to that good place."

She looked up at him and smiled, "Yeah, it's almost enough to make you believe in fairy tales." She relaxed into his chest, breathing in the combination of his body wash and the orange disinfectant that he used at the clinic. It was an odd combination but it was all Edward and she loved it.

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head. What started out as a simple slow dance soon turned into a slow drag, they were swaying to the music but hanging on to each other for dear life.

There were a million things he wanted to tell her and even more that he wanted to do to her but he had decided that she deserved to be treasured and while dancing in the softly lit barn, he held her like the rare artifact he knew she was.

"Hey Ned?" She cooed.

"Hey Sarah?" He answered.

"What do you think about taking me home? And staying…" She was slightly embarrassed by her question but feared that if she didn't make a move, nothing would ever happen.

"Well, the thought of taking you home, right now is…There's nothing I want more…"

"Then let's get out of here." She started to pull away from him but he tightened his grasp.

"Not yet, Sarahbear…We're going to do this the right way."

She dropped her arms from his shoulders and stepped back, "We're adults, Ned. We both know what we want, how is that not right?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to summon the courage to deny her, "It's only been a week…"

"It's been a week and nine years, Ed."

"I'm asking you to trust me. There will a moment when we know without a doubt that it's right and I want that for us – for you. You deserve it more than you know."

Finn stood away from the crowd, her back up against the wall. She watched the festivities, keeping a close eye on her brother and Sarah. Things seemed to be progressing with them and she couldn't have been happier. She watched her husband dance with Caroline, Angela and even a reluctant Brennan – he moved through the crowd with out a care in the world and she envied that.

"This feels very familiar." Booth smirked as he slid up to her.

"What?"

"About two years ago, the roles were reversed…You were the one getting married, begging me to join the party…Now look at you."

"I'm sorry Seel, I'm just so tired and I haven't been feeling all that spectacular –Lance still can't cook but he's trying." She rested her hand on her stomach and cringed.

"Are things back to normal with you two?"

Finn nodded, "They are…He's a good husband and an amazing father. I hit the jackpot with him."

"So, why are you standing here with the long face?"

She smiled, "I'm observing…Look at Eddie and Sarah – I never thought this would happen and there's a part of me that worries they're going to hurt each other."

"Ned's a good guy, McCready will be just fine with him. Truth is, I would worry more about your brother than I would her – women like McCready can wear a man out."

"Speaking from experience?" She asked.

Booth grinned, "Oh yeah…The first week I lived here, I was a zombie – that woman kept me up all night, every night."

"That's way too much info for me." She turned and hugged him, "I'm very happy for you Seel…"

"Thanks Finny, wanna dance?" He extended his arm as an offer.

Finn sighed and took his hand, "I will dance with you but I have to lead."

"No you don't. This is a good life lesson for you – every once in awhile, you can let someone else lead. You'd be surprised where they can take you."

The newlyweds were scheduled to leave for their honeymoon the following morning so they had planned to spend their wedding night at home, in their own bed.

They didn't quit make it to the bed, they didn't even make it to the bedroom.

After the last guest had left, Booth and Brennan walked hand in hand from the barn to the house. Booth insisted on carrying her over the threshold even though she protested – there was a small part of him that actually enjoyed her defiance. His wife was a challenge that he was always up for.

Walking into the house he deposited her on the first level surface he found – the kitchen table. He loosed his tie and looked down at her.

"Seeley…" She whispered and her gazed moved down to his lips. He didn't say anything, he slowly inched his face closer to hers, kissing her. Brennan responded eagerly to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Is that what you're calling me now?" He mumbled between kisses.

"I-I don't…" She couldn't think clearly enough to finish her sentence and for Booth, this was a very good thing.

He draped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer, gently nibbling her bottom lip. A sweet sigh escaped her lips and she pressed her body even closer to him.

"Oh…" She blushed slightly. Booth grinned, fusing his lips to hers as he moved his hands across her. She arched her back, encouraging him. He smiled against her lips, running his hands up her inner arm. A gasp passed her lips and she closed her eyes, shifting her toward him. "Here?…now?" She breathed.

"We're still... dressed." He mumbled back, desperately trying to free her of her confining garments.

"Then change that." She grinned against his neck.

"Genius…I married a genius." He laid her back on the table and finally had the chance to make love to his wife. _My wife_, he thought, _I have a wife_…

~SsS~

"Booth, we broke the vase and the pitcher." She groaned as she rocked up of the table.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Spoils of war, Bones. Spoils of war." He stood and pulled his rumpled pants back on. "I thought you were calling me Seeley now?"

Brennan blushed, "Saying that was… it was unexpected. I couldn't really…"

He walked into the living room and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her, "Its ok, _Temperance_. I wouldn't expect you to call me anything other than Booth – it's who I am to you."

She leaned into and wrapped her arms around him, "I love who you are, who you've always been."


	44. Chapter 44

"You'll never find anyone as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do or love you as much!"

_- The Way We Were_

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, Sarah crawled into her car, totally exhausted. She groaned when she realized she still needed to run to Target to pick up some detergent and toothpaste. And milk. Milk…and…of course, she'd lost her list early that morning, so who knows what else she needed, and she was too tired to care.

She drove on autopilot, trying to let her back and shoulders settle into the seat, but they were still tense. Booth was back from the honeymoon, and that was good, because Sarah was about to shoot the accounting department between the eyes. Each and every single one of them.

Booth had laughed when she told him, saying he understood and that he'd take care of it. She smiled as she thought about her boss, he was a happy man and she knew that he was far too good a man to not receive all the happiness in the world.

To make matters worse, it was her birthday, but no one had seemed to remember. She knew everyone was busy, and Edward had told her he'd take her out on the weekend. She'd agreed, knowing he was just as busy as she was.

But as she pulled into the parking spot, she allowed herself a small pity party. It still sucked. No doubt about it.

She grabbed a cart from outside and managed a wave to Gladys at the door.

"Well, Miss Sarah" the greeter held up her hand. "It's been a long time."

Sarah groaned internally; she really didn't feel like chitchat tonight. "Yep."

Gladys pulled an envelope from her apron and handed it to her. "This is for you."

"Thanks." Sarah eyed the white square suspiciously, then pushed forward quickly when a group of college guys came in looking for who knows what.

As she walked toward the toothpaste aisle, she pulled the flap open, and pulled out the card.

A small smile crossed her face, and then laughter bubbled up.

"Hey Sarah…

You know, Gladys has been looking _pretty_ good these days. I think I might ask her out; what do you think? But she says you haven't really been around. Tsk Tsk…a big shot FBI girl, too good for HER Target. I can't believe it.

Hmmm…what should be your punishment, hmm? How about this? How about no punishment at all, and you just go home. Go home, Sarah. Trust me."

Sarah frowned and folded the note back into the envelope. Why was Edward telling her to trust him again? She shook her head, grabbed some toothpaste, milk, and detergent, went through the line quickly and headed home.

When she got there, she opened the door and tossed her bag on the couch, along with the toothpaste and detergent.

She pulled open the fridge and froze when she saw a half gallon of milk sitting on the top shelf. Placing hers next to it, she closed the door quickly and walked to her washer and dryer, pulling open the cupboard above it to see a brand new bottle of detergent sitting there; the lavender and vanilla kind she loved and Edward always complained about.

With a full, uncertain heart, she walked to the bathroom to see a new tube of toothpaste sitting there, and the cupcake with one candle sitting beside it broke her heart, and she felt tears move down her cheeks.

For a moment she wondered if she should call him, but decided she needed to see him, so she gathered up her purchases and his and drove to his house.

Edward heard the knock on his door, and went to open it quickly.

"Sarah?" he smiled and opened his arms. "Happy Birthday!" he leaned closer to kiss, her but she pushed past him.

"This is too one sided…" she shook her head and set the bags down, then looked at him.

"And I'm sorry I didn't believe you." She held up the milk she'd bought and started crying. "I do trust you, I do. I promise."

Edward felt his heart breaking a bit, and he took the milk from her hands, as well as the other bottle and carried them to his fridge. When he turned around, she was in the kitchen with him, her face so sad. "Don't worry about it, Sarah."

"No…NO!" she fiercely slashed her hand through the air. "I should worry about it. I've been letting you pursue me, and…I've loved that, but…I should be pursuing you too."

"It's okay, Sarah, you don't have to."

"Would you shut up, please?"

Edward bit his lip and raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything else

.

Sarah's face crumpled again and a couple of tears shifted down her face, as she looked away and tried to think of what she said. "I trust you, Ned. I promise. And I should have trusted you tonight." She grew more bold and walked toward him, pulling over the step stool so she could be at eye level with him. Cupping his face in her hands, she pressed her forehead to his. "I trust you. You are worth it. And…I love you."

She gasped at her own words and pulled back, losing her balance. His arms came around her and caught her as she fell, and their eyes met.

He lowered his head and gently brushed his lips over hers, and she returned the affection, just as sweetly.

And then suddenly it was if someone had lit a flare between them and her hands fisted in his hair. His mouth jammed against hers as his hands traveled down her body.

Sarah couldn't remember a time she'd wanted someone as much as she wanted Edward right now, and it was scary as hell.

And as she pulled back and sucked in a deep breath, she knew what real trust was.

He opened his mouth, but she shook her head.

"Stop thinking—just feel" she pleaded, wanting to pursue him as fiercely has he had her.

She took his hand and turned, walking toward his bedroom, waiting until he entered behind her before she closed the door. "Sit on the bed, please."

Edward slid his knuckle across his nose like he always did when he was nervous, but did as she asked, sitting on the edge, keeping his hands to his sides and his eyes on her.

Sarah bit her lip and walked over to him, reaching between them to unbutton his shirt. "You're my best friend, you know that, right?"

He nodded, knowing that she wanted him to stay quiet, but he pulled in a shaky breath when she pulled his shirt aside and pressed her cheek against his chest. His arms went around her, and she allowed the embrace for a few seconds before pulling back, bringing his shirt with her.

"My best memories are with you…Remember the time we spent three hours holed up in the library reading excerpts from that 'Do It Yourself Taxidermy' book?" She asked as she unbuttoned her own shirt and let it fall to the floor.

He chuckled. "Yeah" His eyes darkened, and Sarah blushed as he took her in.

They finished undressing each other, and then Sarah pushed Edward back against his pillows. His stomach muscles tightened as he tried to sit up and kiss her, but she backed away. "Not yet."

He gritted his teeth, but did as she asked, and lay down. Sarah kneeled beside him, then stretched out beside him.

"Thank you for the milk" she kissed his shoulder, then placed a kiss on his other shoulder, "And thank you for the detergent."

"Sarah…" he gasped as she kissed across his chest, his hand tightening in her hair.

"Thank you for the toothpaste" she moved over him and pressed her lips to his, 'and thank you for the cupcake."

And as they both gasped at their newly intimate connection, she felt tears well up in her eyes. "But mostly, thank you for loving me."

Edward nodded, and had heard enough. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them over, his weight pressing hers to the mattress.

"I do love you, Sarah" he whispered into her ear. "I love you" he repeated again and again until neither one could speak.

After long moments, they rested together, and he pulled his bedspread up over them.

"Happy Birthday" he whispered a kiss against her forehead, and she smiled as she snuggled up to him and wrapped her arms around him, feeling all the tension of the day disappear into the safety of what they'd become.

With a tear in my eye I have to say ~

THE END

* * *

Epilogue

"There's no place like home."

_- The Wizard of Oz_

Edward drove slowly through the storm, hoping Booth really would have his back if he did get pulled over in the level 3 storm. Booth had assured Edward that if he took this chance, Booth would make sure that nothing happened to him. He could hardly see where he was going, but he was going to get there.

He was.

Sarah shrugged, pulling her blanket closer to her as she looked out the window. With a sigh, she realized her original plans of ringing in the New Year with Edward just weren't going to happen, but it wasn't exactly anyone's fault. No one had planned on the 4 feet of snow that had dropped on the city almost overnight. She was just glad she'd taken her boss' advice and stayed in and not gone to work the day before.

She kept her phone turned on, in case she was needed, but since she'd taken her new job, she hadn't really been called in on any emergencies. But still, she was available – something that Booth appreciated even though he often scorned her for being too dedicated to the bureau. She tried to take his advice as often as she could – this was a man who had overcome so much to get to where he was. He and Brennan were quietly building their life together, she saw them often and was always surprised at how content they both were.

Shrugging again, she turned from what was actually a beautiful sight and walked into the kitchen to heat up some chili and mashed potatoes. While she watched the chili bubble in the microwave she thought back to the previous weekend and Swinn's announcement – Finn was unexpectedly but thrillfully pregnant. Not something they had planned but a gift they couldn't deny.

Finn had told her that night that she had the life she never knew she had always wanted and her words rang true for Sarah as well. Sarah McCready had always envisioned herself as an independent soul, someone who would be forced to wander the Earth never quite finding what she needed and yet now…Now, she was settled and happy. With a career she loved, an amazing unit of friends and a man that she could not only call the love of her life but also her best friend.

She sighed as she took her dinner out of the microwave, "So much for best laid plans…" She grinned, she was enjoying this unexpected turn in her life.

After stirring the soup a couple more times, then carried it to the living room. She set the sleeve of crackers she'd brought in and settled on the couch, turning on the TV to see what Oprah had to say. Watching the show, getting advice on her love life she thought of Angela and how amazing she would be at that type of thing. Angela and Hodgins were out of the country, delivering medical supplies that their new foundation was providing to under-developed countries. She saw them right before they had left and in the years she had grown to know and love them, she had never seen them so happy.

After a few moments, Sarah heard a knock on her door.

Surprised, she got up quickly, hoping one of her neighbors wasn't in danger. She opened the door and…

"Edward?"

He shivered a bit and smiled, his hair and coat covered in snow, his hands clenching with cold.

"Edward, you have a key…why…why did you knock?"

He pulled in a shuddered breath and smiled. "I'm here. I'm knocking on your door, Sarah."

She pulled in a quick breath. She'd totally forgotten about that day in Brennan's office. Her eyes searched his, and she knew she should invite him in, but the words didn't come.

"Speechless" he grinned. "Should have knocked a long time ago" he teased.

"Very funny" she drolled and reached out with her arm to pull him in. But he slid from her grasp, as he lowered in front of her.

Lowered down to one knee.

Sarah's breath hitched and she giggled, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Edward chuckled too and reached into his pocket to pull out a velvet box.

"Sarah Grace McCready, will you marry me."

Sarah sank to her knees and pulled his face to hers. "Yes." She kissed him, then pulled back, "Edward Neil Finn, will you marry me?"

He laughed. "I asked you first"

"But I said yes already…" she leaned back a bit, then stood up, but he was faster than her and he picked her up and carried her inside, kicking the door shut behind them.

"I'm going to go ahead and say yes, too." He smiled as he set her down, keeping his arms around her as he kissed her.

Sarah growled when she opened the buttons on his coat to see about five shirts on underneath it.

"Hey, it's cold out there" he shrugged, and she turned and winked.

"Not in here, though." She taunted as she made her way back to her bedroom.


End file.
